Life is
by Akira1
Summary: A really AU fic Tatsumi x Tsuzuki others On Hiatus until further notice.
1. Meetings in the Laundromat

Warning: This is probably as AU as one can get, (well, I'm not making up new names, so maybe not that AU . . .). 

PG-13 in later chapters

Life is

Part 1

Meetings in the Laundromat

A warm hand gently shook him out of the nap he had been unknowingly taking. Tsuzuki lifted his head off his desk, blearily blinking at the dark figure before him.

"Tsuzuki," The figure greeted gruffly. "The workday ended a long time ago." He informed the formerly sleeping man. "Though I am certain the company enjoys having you feel the need to stay after, I do believe the janitors would like to work without your presence."

"Oh, thank you . . ." Tsuzuki hesitated, trying to let on that he really didn't know the person's name. Instead of answering him like a normal person would do, the dark figure held open the door tapping his foot impatiently. 

Tsuzuki was not one to be deterred though. As he waited in the hallway for his companion to finish locking the door, he tried to straighten his mussed up hair.

By that time, the man had finished, and started to lead the way down the hall. 

"Oh, by the way," Tsuzuki called out, hurrying after the man. "I'm Tsuzuki Asato." He tried to give his most winning smile. "I just transferred here a few days ago."

The dark figure gave him a contemptuous look. "Good for you." He commented, opening the entrance door for Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki stepped out into the street, shivering from the air that was cold after being in a nice heated office. 

"Um, why are you locking the doors? The janitors will need to get in and out." Tsuzuki commented. The look the man gave him made any further comment die in his throat. 

After he was done, the man raked his fingers through his hair, stopping when they contacted with his visor. "The janitors have their own set of keys." 

"Oh, okay . . ." Tsuzuki scuffed his shoe against the pavement. The man gave Tsuzuki another look, which could have been pity, had the visor been more expressive. 

"Do you need a ride home?" The man offered. Or at least, Tsuzuki thought he was offering one.

"Oh, no, I can walk just fine." Tsuzuki smiled and waved. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"You should." The man replied, already walking away.

***

The site of his home once again brought the unfortunate man to tears. In the middle of the living room he had a heap of dirty clothes left out that morning so he would remember to wash them when returned home.

Sighing, Tsuzuki glanced at the laundry money, and pursed his lips. He had enough to either cram most of his clothes into a load, or eat dinner that night. He glared at the offensive pile of laundry, hoping that it realized that his conflict was its entire fault.

It was the smell that decided it for him. If Tsuzuki did buy himself dinner, then he might not be able to keep it down with the smell emanating from the pile before him. Gathering up the pile of clothes, Tsuzuki made his way down to the Laundromat.

The Laundromat was on the bottom floor of the apartment complex, making it only somewhat difficult for Tsuzuki to reach from his apartment on the top floor.

The clean, white Laundromat was well lit, and its brilliance stunned Tsuzuki for several moments. Though it was too small for the whole apartment complex to use at once, it was quite large when you were the only person in it.

Well, almost the only person. Tsuzuki glanced at the only other occupant, who, for all intensive purposes, was absorbed in his newspaper. Well that was okay. After the success he had with his coworker, Tsuzuki didn't really want to try to converse with anyone else.

Stuffing his clothes into the washing machine was rather difficult. After much grunting as he tried to stuff as many clothes into the miniscule machine, Tsuzuki was able to close the lid and enter the correct change for the machine to start.

Now there was only one problem. How would one get the machine to start?  
Fingers sliding over the top, Tsuzuki looked for an obvious 'push here to start' button. Unfortunately, this discovery was not forthcoming.

Crouching before the machine, Tsuzuki scanned the front for something, anything to push. The cool, shiny, flawless metal front met his questing gaze.

Somewhat frantic, Tsuzuki searched the top again, behind the machine, to the sides . . . nothing. Sitting back on his heels, Tsuzuki whimpered loudly. 

"I give up." He sniffed, burrowing his head into his arms in defeat.

Finally the person across the room took notice of him. Sighing impatiently, he neatly folded his newspaper and returned it to a pile of old newspapers that he had organized earlier that evening. His shoes made an impatient sound as they quickly crossed the floor towards Tsuzuki.

Tsuzuki could barely lift his head before the man leaned over him, opened the lid of the machine he was crouched before, and closed it. The machine started almost immediately.

"Thanks." Tsuzuki gave the man a pitiful smile. The man appraised him silently, before inclining his head in acknowledgement. 

"Have you moved here recently?" The man asked. "I do not recall noticing you before."

"Just a few days ago," Tsuzuki admitted. "By the way, I'm Tsuzuki Asato." He enthusiastically offered his hand.

The man gave the hand a look one would a live viper. "Tatsumi. I am pleased to meet you." He responded with a short bow, ignoring Tsuzuki's outstretched hand.

Tsuzuki did his best to keep up the smile. "Do you live here?"

Tatsumi adjusted his glasses. "I would have thought that to be quite obvious." He responded. "This Laundromat is only open to those who live in this apartment complex." 

"Eh, yes, of course," Tsuzuki's smile turned nervous. An uncomfortable silence ensured, only to be interrupted by the obnoxious sound of a buzzer.

"Please excuse me," Tatsumi said, "But my laundry appears to be done." 

Tsuzuki blinked over at it confusedly. "But, you haven't dried it yet," He started, giving Tatsumi a confused look.

"It is cheaper to dry your clothes off the clothesline." Tatsumi replied evenly. "Good bye, it was a pleasure to meet you, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi was already moving away towards his laundry. 

Tsuzuki sighed and rested his head against the cool metallic surface of the washing machine. It would be nice to crawl into his futon that evening, and pretend that the day's events had not happened. His stomach rumbled complainingly, reminding him that it hadn't had a decent meal since he had awoken from his afternoon nap to find a sandwich next to his face. 

Soon he would go to bed and thing would be better in the morning . . .

Tsuzuki whimpered from hunger, and slid down so he could kneel while resting his head against the machine.

"Is there a problem?" Tatsumi's voice sounded from above him.

Tsuzuki shook his head and looked up at the tall figure next to him. "No, not really," Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. "Well, I didn't have a good day at work," Tsuzuki slowly admitted. "That one man wasn't nice at all . . . and then I had too many reports so I had to work over time, and then I got lost on my way home and then-" 

"Wait-" Before Tatsumi could stop him; Tsuzuki threw himself into remembering every wrong done to him that day.  

"And I dropped my laundry five times down the stairs, and then I-" Tsuzuki's voice started to gain a hysterical pitch as he continued, "And I'm hungry, and I can't get any food until tomorrow, and I'm tired, and you're mean, and-" Tatsumi's hand over Tsuzuki's mouth effectively stopped Tsuzuki from continuing.

Tatsumi used his free hand to hesitantly touch Tsuzuki's shoulder. "Please stop." He begged. Tsuzuki ferociously shook his head. "Here . . . ," Tatsumi glanced around for help, but the Laundromat offered no obvious solutions. "You can . . . have . . . dinner!" Tatsumi focused on the only one of Tsuzuki's problem's he could immediately solve. "If you wish, you may eat with me tonight." Tatsumi promised more firmly.

Tsuzuki looked up as far as he could with Tatsumi restraining him, and said something that was lost in Tatsumi's hand.

Seeing that Tsuzuki wasn't going to continue crying, Tatsumi immediately let go, wiping his hand with a handkerchief. 

"Really?" Tsuzuki asked hopefully. Tatsumi gravely nodded. "Alrighty then!" Tsuzuki tried to give Tatsumi his most charming smile. The later only sighed, turning away to gather his laundry basket.

***

His mother had introduced him to rules at a young age, and, for all intensive purposes, they were ingrained into his mind. They were not strict rules, more of rules of common sense, such as don't accept gifts from strangers and so on.

One of them was not to invite strangers into his home. Glancing at the stranger who was in his living room flipping through books, Tatsumi decided that perhaps he had not learned his lesson as well as he should have. But still, the man seemed too small and fragile to have a chance of harming him.

Carrying the dinner he had just finished over to the table that serviced as the main furniture of the living room, Tatsumi took the opportunity to observe the young man.

Tsuzuki, seeing him, immediately pressed his hand to his mouth and made an odd choking noise.

"Is there something wrong?" Tatsumi asked delicately. Surely he wouldn't laugh at their dinner for the night, as Tsuzuki had seemed quite earnest about being hunger.

Tsuzuki shook his head earnestly. "No, it's just that," He made the choking noise again. "I guess it takes a real man to wear that." He pointed at Tatsumi's apron.

Tatsumi indignantly pressed his lips together as he glanced down at his apron. It had been on sale, and he had been worried about accidentally burning a hole in his more expensive shirts. So what if it had useless pink frills and rabbits stitched on it? "I am glad that you see it that way." Tatsumi commented, deftly removing the offending garment. "Please take a seat, Tsuzuki-san."

Tsuzuki hurried over to the table, giving Tatsumi barely enough time to sit down before Tsuzuki tore into his food with an 'itadakimasu'. One part of Tatsumi was pleased that Tsuzuki was enjoying his food. A more powerful part noted that Tsuzuki was spraying pieces of half-eaten food everywhere.

"Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi waited until Tsuzuki looked up before continuing. "I do believe that if you eat at a more subdued pace, the food will not disappear." He commented, watching the man before him intently. 

At least Tsuzuki had enough manners to swallow before talking. "Oh yeah, sorry." He grinned apologetically, and just at Tatsumi was about to smile in return, returned to his former pace of eating. Tatsumi sighed and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. It would be a long night.

***

"Thank you!" Tsuzuki smiled happily at Tatsumi. Tatsumi smiled, and tried not to look at the crumbs covering Tsuzuki's mouth. "It was really delicious."

"I am glad you enjoyed it." Tatsumi smiled weakly, his fingers itching to reach out and wipe the bits of food off of Tsuzuki's mouth. "We should do this again."

Tsuzuki nodded. "Yes. Oh, wait," 

Tatsumi grimaced in anticipation. "Yes?" He asked warily.

"What's your name again?" 

End of Part 1


	2. A Day at the Coffee Shop

Same warning applies. Oh, and the standard disclaimer too . . . 

Life is

Part 2

A Day at the Coffee Shop

Tatsumi, wrapped up in his warm coat, meticulously slid his long narrow fingers into his glove. Shivering slightly in the cold, he stepped onto the deserted hallway outside his apartment. Locking the door with his spare key, he silently returned it to its hiding space.

Turning around, he nearly ran into Tsuzuki.

"Tsuzuki-san!" Tatsumi gasped in surprise, pressing a hand to his erratically beating heart. "May I ask what are you doing here?" He wondered if he had fed a professional stalker last night.

"I live here." Tsuzuki gave him a perturbed look, pointing at the door next to Tatsumi's. "And I have to go to work."

Tatsumi frowned, but managed to keep from saying anything. "What is it that you do?" He asked, maneuvering towards the stairwell. 

Tsuzuki looked thoughtful. "You know," He fingered his chin, gazing at the pale sky. "I don't know."

Tatsumi blinked in surprise. "How could you not know what you do?" He asked.

Tsuzuki smiled and waved disarmingly. "I know what I do; I just don't know the name for it. I sign papers."

Tatsumi shook his head, and continued walking toward the stairwell. "I believe those actions are similar to secretarial work." He offered over his shoulder.

Tsuzuki ran to catch up. "No, I don't think I'm a secretary." At Tatsumi's exasperated look, he continued. "I think I'd know if I was one." 

They descended the stairwell in an awkward silence, as Tsuzuki tried to think of a name for his job. When they reached a street corner, Tatsumi patiently waited for the crossing sign, while Tsuzuki turned to follow the sidewalk away. 

"Well, I'll think of it sometime, and then I'll let you know." Tsuzuki promised him.

Tatsumi shrugged indifferently. "My curiosity need not concern you." He gave Tsuzuki a quick smile. "Good bye-"

"Wait!" Tsuzuki yelled a little louder then necessary. The few other people near them all turned to look at the two men. Tatsumi rubbed the bridge of his nose, hoping no one recognized him.

"Wait," Tsuzuki repeated at a normal tone. "Are you doing anything for lunch?" He asked hopefully.

Tatsumi gave Tsuzuki a penetrating look. After a few moments of silence Tatsumi sighed. "Tsuzuki-san, I am quite busy during the work day, and although your offer is kind-"

"Oh, come on! You have to eat something!" Tsuzuki begged. Tatsumi shook his head. "But there's this really cute little coffee shop, and I owe you for last night still!"

Tatsumi sighed. "Tsuzuki-san, please do not be concerned for last night. It is not your duty to repay me for anything."

"No, really, I wanna spend lunch with you!" Tsuzuki begged fervently.

Tatsumi brushed the hair out of his eyes, giving Tsuzuki a penetrating look. "I do seem to remember that the main reason you and I ate dinner together last night was the fact that you had no money. I would not expect for you to go into any extreme measures simply to repay a person you met yesterday."

Tsuzuki shook his head. "No, I get paid today." He smiled disarmingly. "Besides, the coffee shop's cheap."

Tatsumi stiffened like a board, causing Tsuzuki to shrink, worrying that he might have said something wrong.

"Of course I will join you." Tatsumi promised fervently, before shaking himself. "Another time perhaps. I do apologize, but my plans do not allow me to spend money freely."

"I'll pay." Tsuzuki smiled hopefully. 

"I will happily join you today." The words rushed out of Tatsumi's mouth before he could stop them. He shook himself again, looked at Tsuzuki's euphoric face, and sighed. "I suppose this means I have no way of politely backing out of this now." He asked himself quietly.

"Nope!" Tsuzuki called out cheerfully. Tatsumi blanched, realizing Tsuzuki had heard him. "I'll meet you at around noon at the coffee shop over there!" Tsuzuki pointed across the street.

"Alright," Tatsumi guiltily forced his jaw to support a cheerful smile as the energetic young man bounced off.

***

"Ouch," Tsuzuki moaned, rubbing his hand. Two hours of signing forms did not do wonders for his delicate hands. He blew on the injured appendage, thankful he could eat with his right hand.

His office door swung open and the tall, dark man from yesterday evening sauntered in, helpfully dropping off another stack of forums and documents. 

"Are you planning on taking a break now?" He asked in a bored tone. Tsuzuki smiled and nodded his head at the man.

"What's wrong?" The man asked while pointing at the hand Tsuzuki was cradling protectively. Before Tsuzuki could reply, the man reached out and grabbed the wrist, nearly pulling Tsuzuki over his desk. "Cramp?" The person asked sympathetically. Well, his tone didn't change, but Tsuzuki was sure he was sympathetic.

"Yeah, it's nothing big." Tsuzuki promised, trying to tug back his hand. The man's grip was as strong as his size would suggest. "I'll just run some warm water over it or something."

The man kept a firm grip on Tsuzuki's wrist, and pressed his fingers onto the aching tendon, causing Tsuzuki to cringe and whimper in pain. 

Warily opening one eye, Tsuzuki glanced at the abused appendage. A pleasant feeling slowly started to emanate from the stiff tendon as the man's warm hands massaged it.

"Better?" The man asked, his voice sounding oddly low and gentle.

Tsuzuki vigorously nodded his head. "Much!" He grinned thankfully at the man. The man simply shrugged his broad shoulders and stepped away.

"Do you need anything else?" The man asked.

"Oh, no," Tsuzuki grabbed his coat. "But thanks. Anyways, I'm going out for lunch, I'll be back in around maybe an hour?"

The man shrugged. "As you will." He held open the door for Tsuzuki as the young man stepped through.

***

Tsuzuki strode through the doors of the coffee shop, and stopped immediately. Apparently, several other people had thought that the coffee shop was a nice place to at as well. Tsuzuki frantically looked for a space to sit.

He was about to give up when he noticed that someone seemed to be sitting alone. The table was big enough for four people, so Tsuzuki didn't really understand why it wasn't taken up.

He subtly slid up to the table while watching the person. The man seemed to have just finished his meal, and was calmly sipping tea, gazing at the crowded room with a morbid twist to his lips that could have been considered a smile.

Even if he wasn't wearing clothes one would wear to a fancy restaurant, the man still would have made Tsuzuki look twice. 

His hair had an odd silvery sheen that flashed in the soft afternoon sun. His skin was nearly translucent, making his figure seem more delicate than he was. He seemed ethereal, almost like a vision that was sitting in a corner and drinking tea.

"Hello!" Tsuzuki said. Startled, the man jerked his head up to lock gazes with Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki noted that the man's tea water looked like glass, indicating that he hadn't been startled enough. "Anyone sitting here?" He asked, gesturing towards a seat opposite of the man.

"Please do." The man returned his tea cup to its saucer, focusing his attention on the man before him.

"This seems to be a popular place." Tsuzuki commented, sliding into the seat. "Do you come here often?"

The man's lips twitched into what seemed to be a more genuine smile. "Often enough. May I assume you do not?"

Tsuzuki shook his head. "Just moved here." He confessed. "The outside looked cute."

"Do you like this city?" The man asked politely. Tsuzuki glanced at the ceiling, hoping the man didn't realize he was trying to avoid that penetrating look. "Oh, please forgive my manners." The man said suddenly.

Tsuzuki tore his gaze from the ceiling. "Huh?" He asked confusedly.

The man extended his hand. "I am Muraki Kazutaka. I am pleased to meet you . . .?" He waited expectantly.

"Oh, Tsuzuki Asato." Tsuzuki smiled, happy to find that at least one person in this city was willing to shake hands.

"Oh my," Muraki said, still grasping Tsuzuki's hand. "You have quite a delicate bone structure." Almost reluctantly, he let Tsuzuki pull his hand back. "May I inquire as to your occupation?" Muraki asked delicately.

Tsuzuki let out a nervous chuckle. "I write on a lot on documents." He said.

At first Muraki looked puzzled, before realization dawned on his face. "Oh, I understand." His smile encouraged Tsuzuki to smile back. "You are a secretary."

Tsuzuki cringed. "Um, not quite . . ."

"Oh, there you are, Tsuzuki-san." A voice called out warmly. "I do apologize, but I was held up at work for longer than expected-" Tatsumi, coming into view, stopped dead in his tracks just behind Tsuzuki. His hand gripped the back of Tsuzuki's chair, the knuckles going white.

Confused, Tsuzuki turned to Muraki, only to find that the pale man had gone rigid, his face devoid of expression.

"Muraki-san." Tatsumi finally greeted.

"Tatsumi-san." Muraki greeted flatly.

"I do trust you are well?" Tatsumi's voice sounded as if it was on auto-pilot.

"I am quite well, thank you. Might I inquire as to your health?" Muraki's formality took on a cold tone.

"I am as well as can be expected." Tatsumi responded. "I trust all is well with the hospital."

"What's going on?" Tsuzuki asked, blinking confusedly. Tatsumi and Muraki focused their attention on him. As Tatsumi was behind and him, Tsuzuki could only see Muraki's piercing look.

Muraki suddenly smiled, a hand stretching out to touch his, and Tatsumi's grip on Tsuzuki's chair tightened.

"Please excuse us." Muraki smiled charmingly at Tsuzuki while tracing his knuckles. "Tatsumi-san and I-" Suddenly a high pitched beeping noise went off. Muraki froze, before leaning back and checking something in his pocket. A quick glance at Tatsumi confirmed he was doing the same.

"It is my pager." Muraki reported, staring at it intently. Standing, he quickly picked up the remains of his meal and disposed of them. "Please excuse me, Tsuzuki-san, Tatsumi-san; I am needed at the hospital." Though hurried, Muraki had enough time to give Tsuzuki one last piercing glare. "I trust we will meet again. Goodbye for now." 

As soon as Muraki exited the shop, Tatsumi let out a long sigh, and relaxed marginally. "Yes?" He asked Tsuzuki's confused look.

"Do you and Muraki know each other?" Tsuzuki asked.

Tatsumi buried his head in his hands. "I would have thought you were paying attention during our exchange." He replied darkly. "That way, you would have figured out that Muraki-san and I do indeed know each other." 

"Oh," Tsuzuki shrugged noncommittally. "Well, how-"

"Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi interrupted. "Please forgive me, but I did not arrive to eat lunch and converse with you. I underestimated the urgency of my work this morning, and misled you."

Tsuzuki felt his breath catch. "What do you mean?"

Tatsumi drew a deep breath before continuing. "I mean to say I will not be able to join you this afternoon." He reported steadily.

"But you're here, and I'm here, and-"

"Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi's voice cut through Tsuzuki's. "Please understand that I wished to inform you of this recent development in person. As I have done so, I must hurry back to my work."

"Oh," Tsuzuki coughed nervously. "I see."

"Good." Tatsumi nodded impersonally. "Another day, perhaps?" He offered.

"Sure."

"Until then."

"Bye!" Tsuzuki smiled and waved as Tatsumi quickly walked out of the building. Once he was gone, Tsuzuki slumped in his seat, lifting his head so he could feel the sun on his face. 

Apple Pie sounded like a good lunch for today.

End of Part 2


	3. Setting Things Up

Demented Ramblings from the Author™: Yami no Matsuei is still not mine. Oh and there's an actual moral lesson in this one, which I wrote at the bottom. And as a small warning, there is an almost Mary Sue in this one, but she's really not, and she'll disappear forever after this chapter is done, which, as I have already posted it and hence finished it, is done. As I avoid Mary Sue fan fiction like the plague, I don't think I ripped her off of anyone, but if there are startling coincidences, they are only figments of your imagination..

Life is

Part 3

Setting Things Up

The ceiling of his apartment was an off white shade. There were small cracks running across the ceiling to join at the base of the light. In other words, the ceiling to Tsuzuki's apartment was very boring. Tsuzuki knew this because he had been staring at it for the past several minutes. 

His focus on his ceiling was shattered by his front door being pounded on. As few people knew where he lived, Tsuzuki was quite curious as to who might be on the opposite side.

"Yes?" He asked, as he opened the door. He was greeted by the site of a person with his hand still raised as if to knock.

"Hello!" The person flashed him a cheeky grin, brushing blonde hair out of his face. "You just moved here?" He asked cheerfully.

His cheerfulness was contagious, and Tsuzuki found himself smiling back effortlessly. "Yeah, just a couple of days ago." He admitted. "Come on in," He stepped aside to let the man through.

The blonde smiled, and brushed past him to the inside of his apartment, and looked around the bare furnishings. "Err, nice place you got!" He smiled at the small futon that also served as Tsuzuki's bed. "Very roomy." 

He turned to face Tsuzuki, still smiling. "Oh, I'm Watari, your next door neighbor." Tsuzuki smiled, deciding against trying to shake hands, and introduced himself. Watari collapsed on his futon, and glanced around. "Let me guess, you're a bachelor."

"Why do you say that?" Tsuzuki asked confusedly. "I'm not that bad looking, am I?" He asked worriedly.

Watari held up his fingers. "Hey, not all bachelors are bad looking! I knew because one, you have no real entertainment center in this place. Two, you don't have any pretty feminine decorations. Three your tie's crooked." Watari settled back, and started rummaging through Tsuzuki's coffee table. 

"Oh, is that bad?" Tsuzuki asked worriedly. "I thought I was getting along okay." He nervously ran his fingers through his hair.

"What . . . Oh, no, I didn't mean that at all." Watari flipped through an old newspaper Tsuzuki had pilfered from the laundry room. "See, I'm a bachelor too. It just means I can't convince your wife to let me come over for dinner, or set me up with any of her friends, which brings me back to the point of why I'm here." Watari suddenly stood, placing the newspaper collapsing to the ground.

"A friend of mine wants to invite you over for dinner." Watari watched Tsuzuki expectantly.

"Tonight?" Tsuzuki asked after a long pause. Watari nodded happily. "Well, I guess I have nothing better to do," Tsuzuki said hesitantly, not sure if it was good to accept an invitation by a person he had only know for a few minutes.

"Great!" Watari gave him a triumphant look. "I'll come pick you up in about two hours, okay?"

"Sure!" Tsuzuki smiled happily. "I'll be ready by then!" Any misgiving he had were locked away by the thought of a homemade meal.

***

"You made it!" The young woman who answered the door greeted them. "Please come in!"

"Is Terazuma-" Watari began.

"No, he couldn't make it. He mumbled something about case with a company before running off." The woman replied sadly. "He didn't even grab a slice of the cake I baked!"

"Oh well, more for us, right Tsuzuki?" Watari grinned at him. "Oh, this is Wakaba Kannuki." Watari introduced Tsuzuki to her, and they politely bowed at each other.

"Tell me, Tsuzuki," Wakaba said after introductions were finished. "Do you like chocolate cake?" 

Tsuzuki's eyes grew nearly as big as the smile on his face. "Yes, I like chocolate cake a lot." He replied seriously. He had the feeling he'd like it here.

Wakaba beamed. "Good! I'm almost done cooking, so you two go ahead and take a seat while I finish cooking." She instructed them cheerfully. 

Tsuzuki barely had time to sit down next to Watari before Wakaba was bringing out a steaming tray of stir-fry.

As Tsuzuki and Watari helped themselves, Wakaba observed the purple eyed man. "Tell me Tsuzuki, have you met anyone recently?" She asked daintily.

"Huh?" Tsuzuki looked up from his dinner plate. "Well, this one guy I work with, Tatsumi, and you two." He replied. "Other than that, I haven't really met anyone."

Watari and Wakaba glanced at each other and mouthed something. "Oh, how nice," Wakaba replied weakly. "I'm glad your experiences haven't made you too antisocial to join us."

"Huh?" Tsuzuki asked confusedly. "Why would I be antisocial?" Watari and Wakaba gave each other another look that Tsuzuki couldn't quite make out.

"Oh, I have a wonderful idea!" Wakaba clasped her hands together. "I have this one friend that's been meaning to meet some new guys!" She smiled. "Would you mind terribly if I arrange a double date?" She asked. "It'll just be you, her, Watari and me. It'll be fun!" She smiled cheerfully.

Tsuzuki blinked at them confusedly. "Are you two-" He started, not sure how to finish. Hadn't Watari said something about being a bachelor?

Watari caught on rather quickly. "Oh no," He waved his hands disarmingly. "Wakaba and I are cousins." He grinned quirkily. 

"Well, sure, I guess I'll come." Tsuzuki smiled back at him. "I have the day off tomorrow, so it would be nice to have something to do."

"Good!" Wakaba smiled cheerfully. "Watari will pick you up then." Watari smiled and winked at Tsuzuki.

"Alright." Tsuzuki smiled back, and went back to eating his dinner.

***

Tsuzuki smiled at Wakaba's friend, Yukiko. The petite blonde managed a disinterested smile, and continued to stare out the window. Across the table, Wakaba's smile grew pained, as Watari rested his forehead in his hand. The silent, half empty coffee shop that they were in only magnified the silence.

"Well," Tsuzuki said after a long period of time. "What do you do for a living?" He asked conversationally.

It took the girl a few minutes to realize that Tsuzuki was talking to her. "Oh? I work as a sales clerk for the boutique store over there."

"Oh," Tsuzuki smiled nervously. "That's nice. You must get to meet interesting people." He commented.

"Yeah, I do, mostly married couples." She replied, sighing in boredom. "And how about you?" She asked.

"I don't get to meet people in my job." Tsuzuki chuckled nervously. "I'm not sure what the title of my job is, though."

Yukiko gave him a disinterested look. "Well, what do you do in you job?"

Tsuzuki beamed, hopping he had finally caught her interest. "I sign papers!" He replied happily. "I work at the company building a little down the road." He clarified.

"The new one?" Yukiko asked. Tsuzuki nodded vigorously. Yukiko thought for a moment. "You sign papers . . . sounds like you're a secretary." She said finally.

Tsuzuki pressed his forehead against the table. "No, I don't think I am." His voice had gained an injured tone.

"Are you sure?" Watari asked companionably. "Hey, secretaries are okay. I mean, it's like being a male nurse, right?" A grin as the women both gave him confused looks. "It's not like it's a challenge to your masculinity, right?"

"Um," Tsuzuki started, not sure how to respond.

Looking behind him, Yukiko gasped and started to beam happily. As whatever she was looking at was behind Tsuzuki, he had to turn around to look. It took him a moment to realize that there was a tall figure that was making his way through the tables towards their general direction.

Upon recognizing the figure, Tsuzuki smiled. "Tatsumi!" He called out cheerfully; ignoring the startled look Yukiko was giving him.

Tatsumi stopped, gazing at Tsuzuki for a few moments. "Tsuzuki-san," He said hesitantly. "I do apologize for not recognizing you at first."

"It's okay." Tsuzuki smiled happily. "Hey, it's been a few days, how have you been?"

"Thank you for asking, I have remained as well as one could expect." Tatsumi briefly broke eye contact with Tsuzuki to quickly glance around. "Oh, am I distracting you from your companions?" He asked. "I do apologize-"

"No, it's okay!" Tsuzuki blinked at the odd echo in his voice. Then he realized Yukiko was right next to him.

"Tatsumi Seiichirou, I have heard so much about you from Wakaba!" Yukiko exclaimed happily, reaching out to grasp his hand.

Tatsumi grimaced, trying to discreetly tug his hand away. "Perhaps she has been too kind," Tatsumi commented.

"No, no, you must join us!" Yukiko tugged Tatsumi towards the chair Tsuzuki had recently vacated.

"Yes . . . It's alright, right?" Tsuzuki asked Wakaba. Wakaba shrugged and nodded.

"The more the merrier," She replied, smiling at Tatsumi.

"If you insist . . ." Tatsumi began, before more or less being shoved in Tsuzuki's seat. Watari helpfully made room for Tsuzuki to pull a chair between him and Tatsumi. 

"Watari-san, Wakaba-san, I trust you are well?" Tatsumi greeted.

Wakaba gave him a charismatic smile. "Oh, yes, please don't worry about us."

"And how are your students?" Tatsumi asked politely, to which Wakaba beamed and nodded. "And you, Watari-san?"

Watari sighed. "They finally gave me back the grant money. I mean, the professor's hair grew back with no problems." He glared out the window. "Anyways," Watari shook himself out of his mood, and focused warily on Tatsumi. "I guess everything's still okay with you." He commented.

Tatsumi inclined his head. "And may I ask who you are?" He asked Yukiko. 

Yukiko was only too happy to answer. After she introduced herself, she smiled happily at Tatsumi "I've heard quite a bit about you." She smiled.

Tatsumi coughed. "As you mentioned before," He reminded her. Undaunted, Yukiko gazed happily back at him.

Suddenly a waiter arrived with four slices of delectable pie. Tsuzuki sat up; beaming at the scrumptious pie much like the way Yukiko was beaming at Tatsumi.

Raising a bite sized piece to his mouth, Tsuzuki suddenly remembered something, and turned to Tatsumi. 

"Do you want any?" was the innocent question presented to Tatsumi.

Tatsumi shook his head and waved in dismissal. "Thank you, but I will be quite alright." He replied.

"Oh, no, you must try some!" Yukiko exclaimed, bringing up her fork. 

Tatsumi grimaced while edging away. "No, thank you." Yukiko pouted while Tsuzuki shrugged, and started to eat his pie.

Tatsumi watched the three people eat their desserts disinterestedly. He noticed with increasing displeasure that Tsuzuki was managing to get more of his desert around his mouth than in.

Pursuing his lips in annoyance, he turned to Yukiko, who hadn't even started eating her pie slice yet.

"Might I borrow a handkerchief?" Tatsumi quietly asked.

Yukiko beamed at being the focus of his attention. "Of course," She replied, handing him a scrap of cloth. "I embroidered the design myself." She said happily. "If you want, you can keep it."

Tatsumi inclined his head. "Thank you." Before she could reply, he turned to Tsuzuki. "Tsuzuki-san," he commanded imperiously. "Here," Yukiko gasped in distress as he handed a confused Tsuzuki the handkerchief. 

"Huh?" Tsuzuki asked, starting to wipe at his mouth with his sleeve. Tatsumi diligently caught his hand and forced it down before it could make contact.

"You may use this to wipe your mouth." He gestured at the scrap of cloth in Tsuzuki's hand. Yukiko made a protesting noise which Tatsumi ignored.

"Okay," Tsuzuki wiped at his face, dirtying the handkerchief, and smearing the pie bits more than he was wiping them up.

"No, not like that," Tatsumi's face was frozen in a twisted grimace. "A little harder . . . try wetting it . . ." Finally Tatsumi sighed, and grasped the handkerchief by clean backside. With his other hand, he pressed his thumb and forefinger behind Tsuzuki's jaw, and held on hard. Tsuzuki immediately started struggling, but Tatsumi's grip was too strong. 

Tatsumi delicately spat in the dirty cloth, which gained one last moan of horror from Yukiko, and wiped at Tsuzuki's face vigorously. "Icky," Tsuzuki whimpered, trying to struggle out of Tatsumi's grip. "That's gross!" He called out at the saliva covered handkerchief as it scrubbed at his face.

After Tatsumi was done, he sat back to admire his work. Though it was hard to see with Tsuzuki furiously scrubbing at his face with the cuffs of his shirt, not a speck of pie remained on the young man's face.

Satisfied, Tatsumi turned back to Yukiko. "Thank you." He told her, handing back the scrap of cloth. Gingerly, she accepted it.

"Well," Wakaba said faintly after watching the spectacle. "I suppose it's around time we went home." She giggled nervously. Watari stopped blinking, and nodded in agreement.

"It's dark out." Yukiko said, gazing at Tatsumi. "You wouldn't let a woman walk home all alone, would you?" She asked hopefully.

Tatsumi regarded her coolly. "In my estimation, you seem quite capable of arriving home with no assistance. This city is supposedly one of the safest in the world." He pointed out.

"But . . ." Yukiko started.

"If you want, I'll walk you home." Tsuzuki helpfully offered. Yukiko glanced disinterestedly at him.

"Let's all walk Yukiko home." Wakaba offered. Watari and Tsuzuki nodded encouragingly, Tatsumi shrugged indifferently.

"So, it's still early in the evening," Tsuzuki started as they started to get up.

"Oh, that's okay." Watari reassured him. "Say, after this, we can hit a bar or something!" He grinned charmingly at Tsuzuki.

"Must you speak of this in front of me?" Tatsumi asked darkly.

Watari looked puzzled. "Huh?" He asked Tatsumi confusedly. Then his face dawned in understanding. "Oh, sorry . . . I forgot," He smiled weakly. Tatsumi sighed and nodded. "So," He began again, turning to Tsuzuki. "Surely two young men such as ourselves can do _something tonight."_

"That'll be nice," Tsuzuki smiled back.

Tatsumi massaged the bridge of his nose. "Do you wish to eat dinner with me again?" Tatsumi offered Tsuzuki. "I went grocery shopping earlier today, and there was quite a bit of food on sale. Unfortunately most of the food was in large quantities, and I fear I might have too much leftovers."

Watari gave Tatsumi a look of pain. "But . . . you never offered to cook for me before!" He exclaimed.

Tatsumi gave Watari a bored look. "The two of you may join Tsuzuki and me as well."

Wakaba smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Tatsumi; I suppose I could use a break from cooking.

Watari grinned, and gave Tsuzuki a peace sign. "Lucky, huh?" He grinned at Tsuzuki as he patted him on the shoulder. "If I hang out with you, I can get food on a regular basis!" 

Tatsumi pressed his hand to his forehead, regretting his decision. For some reason though, the look on Tsuzuki's face had been worth it. He turned to Yukiko. "Shall we bring you home?" He asked her formally. 

Looking somewhat put out, Yukiko managed a weak smile just for Tatsumi. "Sure . . ." She smiled at him.

Tatsumi had already turned to where Tsuzuki and Watari were and tugged on Tsuzuki's sleeve. "Come, we have one more duty until dinner."

"Uh," Yukiko started, but Tsuzuki and Tatsumi were already leading the way.

"So," Watari sprung up next to her. "Did you enjoy the day?" He asked companionably. Yukiko pursed her lips and walked a little quicker. Watari glanced at Wakaba, who shook her head at him.

"Perhaps this wasn't as good as an idea as I though," She said hesitantly.

Yukiko managed to catch up to Tatsumi, hoping to have one last chance. "Say," She said, holding out a slice of cake. "I made this a little before I came, would you like to try some?" She had spent the last several hours trying to make a cake, and as far as she could tell, succeeded. 

Tatsumi hesitantly accepted the slice, and slowed down enough so that he could try it. He tilted his head to the side, while tasting it.

"Well, what do you think?" She asked hopefully. 

Tatsumi started to reply when he thought of something. "Tsuzuki-san, please try this." Yukiko watched boggle eyed as Tatsumi proffered the slice. "I do believe this requires a few more egg whites, but I remember you mentioning that you have eaten many cakes. What do you think?" He asked.

Tsuzuki chewed the slice. "Ah! This is the same mixing you can buy at the supermarket! Only, I think you should have used just the egg whites." He told Yukiko, who had developed a twitch to her face. 

"Thank you," She said weakly. "Well, we're here." She turned and ran into her place without looking back.

Tsuzuki watched her go. "Oh, she seemed sad," He informed Tatsumi. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

Tatsumi shrugged. "Please do not concern yourself." He said, leading Tsuzuki back to Watari and Wakaba. "Even if Wakaba-san's attempt to set you up did not work out well, I am sure you will eventually find someone."

Tsuzuki smile happily. "Really? Thank you Tatsumi?" And before Tatsumi could protest, he was wrapped up in a hug. Awkwardly he patted Tsuzuki on the head.

"Hey, Tsuzuki!" Watari hurried over to them. "Did you manage to get Yukiko's number?" He asked hopefully. Tsuzuki let go of Tatsumi and shook his head. "Too bad, she was kind of cute. Hey, maybe Wakaba can find another friend." He said hopefully, starting to lead Tsuzuki back.

"I think I'm done with blind dates for a while." Tsuzuki replied.

"This is just as well." Tatsumi replied from the other side of Tsuzuki.

"Huh?" Tsuzuki asked. Tatsumi gave him a quick smile, before focusing on the sidewalk in front of him. "Why?" He asked Wakaba. Wakaba smiled and threw up her hands, starting to back off. Tsuzuki gave Watari a hopeful glace. 

Watari gave both Tatsumi and Wakaba a look that showed he questioned both of their sanities, and shrugged at Tsuzuki. 'Women' he mouthed, before giving Tatsumi a suspicious look.

Tatsumi gave Tsuzuki a sharp look as the latter broke out into a fit of mirth.

Akira

This is a tribute to all Mary Sues who try to get in the way of a Tatsumi x Tsuzuki relationship while a Tatsumi x Tsuzuki fan author is writing it. Though I . . . err . . . 'borrowed' Yukiko from the fourth manga, I don't really know her personality that well. But, from what little I was able to translate (aka: ripped off a translation site), Yukiko existed. That and she didn't seem to be overly fond as Tsuzuki as mostly everyone else is. 


	4. Family Connections

To all Hakushaku fans: If I got him out of character, I'm re~ealy sorry, and please don't hurt me! (Crawls under desk to hide)

Life is

Part 4

Family Connections

"Here." Tsuzuki glanced up sharply at the sound of a disinterested voice in his previously empty office.

"What?" He asked the tall dark figure.

The tall dark figure leaned over, and set a rather large pot on his paper work. "This." He said as if that was all the explanation Tsuzuki would need.

"What?" Tsuzuki asked again.

The dark-haired man crossed his arms and taped a finger against his bulky bicep, lips pursed in a thin straight line. Tsuzuki had the feeling that the man was giving him a look of disbelief, though it was hard to tell with a visor covering over half the man's face.

"What is it?" Tsuzuki hesitantly rephrased his question.

The lips twitched. "It is a pot." He said as if speaking to a slow child. "You can put all sorts of stuff in it. It is commonly used for storage."

Tsuzuki gave him a miffed look, which quickly changed to one of excitement. "Oh, you mean, _a pot!" He said excitedly. "Why didn't you just say so?"_

The man's expressing might have changed. "My mistake," He admitted exasperatedly. 

"What's it for?" Tsuzuki asked, curiously tilting the pot over, and peering inside.

"Storing things," The man replied warily. "What else are pots for?" His fingers made an odd drumming sound as the tapped his bicep impatiently.

"I don't know," Tsuzuki admitted. "So," He began casually. "Why'd you give it to me?"

"It's a gift, from the vice president." The man replied in a bored tone. "He said something about your contributions and helping the company, nothing really important."

"Oh, cool!" Tsuzuki said excitedly. "I have a pot!" Smiling happily, he traced the edge of a design. "And it has this cute little cloth thing on the top!" Tsuzuki looked up and smiled at the man. 

Suddenly the clock caught Tsuzuki's attention. "Oh!" He said happily. "It's time to go!" The man shrugged, either in indifference or agreement. Tsuzuki began to pull on his coat, "Well, later then."

"Wait." The man's voice held the authority of a command. Curious, Tsuzuki paused, halfway done buttoning up his coat. "The vice president wished for you to take on an assignment."

Tsuzuki blinked worriedly. "What is it?" He asked warily. As nice as the company was, he wasn't too thrilled about working after hours.

The man handed him a slip of paper. Tsuzuki gave it a puzzled look as he read it. "Oh," He said somewhat confusedly. "Well, I guess this is alright," He said, carefully folding the paper and placing it into his voluminous jacket pocket.

The man inclined his head, opening the door for Tsuzuki. "The management hoped you would say something like this." He replied. "It's good that a representative of our company was invited. It shows that they consider us as potential rivals." Despite the fact his face was half-hidden; the man's expression became predatory. "This is very good."

"Yes," Tsuzuki replied shakily. "I guess that's good." He tried to smile, but failed. "Will anyone else from our company . . ." He began.

The man shrugged. "I don't think so. If you really want to know, we could stop by the vice president's office."

"What?!" Tsuzuki exclaimed. This wasn't that important, and what was wrong with just going to his boss? Whoever his boss was . . .

"You don't want to?" the man asked indifferently. "Okay." By then they had reached the exit, and the man moved to hold open the doors. "Don't do anything I wouldn't." He called out at Tsuzuki's retreating back.

***

The mail was placed on a desk as he entered his apartment. He unlaced his shoes, cautiously making certain that not a speck of dirt made it past the shoe mat. His coat was hung up on a peg, and then smoothed out, and brushed down. Slipping his tired feet in to a pair of cheap pink slippers, Tatsumi gathered the mail, and headed into his living room.

There were only two items in the mail, the first being a magazine for womens' clothing. Sighing in vexation, Tatsumi cautiously placed it in the trash. Then he returned to the remaining item, an unremarkable letter. 

At least, it was unremarkable until he got a good look at the address. Sucking the breath through his teeth quickly, Tatsumi read the contents. Glowering, he reread them, making certain that there was no mistake.

The second, more thorough reading was much more insightful than the first. He quickly understood why he was invited to the 'family' social gathering. It was his youngest uncle who was managing it this time. That meant not only family, but company representatives would be attending as well.

He sighed in annoyance. His mother had had insisted on him coming to each and every one of the family social gatherings. Nineteen years later, her decree still remained. He would be obliged to attend this social gathering as he had been obligated to go to the last one, the one before that one, and so on.

A heavy pounding on his door snapped Tatsumi out of his reminiscence. The pounding continued until he made it across the room to open the door.

Tsuzuki was on the other side, smiling in greeting. Tatsumi blinked, then moved aside and invited him in. Was it just his imagination, or did Tsuzuki seem less cheerful than usual?

"Good afternoon, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi greeted cordially as he closed the door behind Tsuzuki. "May I ask what brings you here today?" Tatsumi quickly handed Tsuzuki a pair of slippers.

"Hey, Tatsumi." Tsuzuki's smile did seem strained, Tatsumi was certain of it. "My company gave me an assignment," he began hesitantly.

Smiling as would befit a host, Tatsumi nodded for Tsuzuki to continue, gesturing for Tsuzuki to enter the living room. "And I was wondering if you had any thing formal I could borrow," Tsuzuki continued in a rush.

Tatsumi blinked in surprise. "I might be able to find something that might fit you," he replied gently. Tsuzuki shifted nervously, giving him a quick, grateful smile. "Please excuse me for prying, but may I ask why you need formal wear?"

Tsuzuki sighed and nodded, pulling out a folded note and handing it to Tatsumi. Curiously Tatsumi unfolded it and read it over.

"You do not wish to go, do you?" Tatsumi finally figured out what was wrong with Tsuzuki's behavior. "But duty to your company decrees you must." Tsuzuki looked up startled. 

"Well, I guess so," Tsuzuki nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "I mean, it's always nice to meet new people, but I'm not all that used to social customs and-"

"Shall I go as well?" Tatsumi cut in. "I too was invited, and if it pleases you, I might be able to assist you through your assignment," he offered.

Tsuzuki's whole countenance brightened up. "Really?" he asked excitedly, and clasped his hands in greater joy as Tatsumi nodded. "Sankyu!" He smiled happily at Tatsumi. The latter gave him a gentle smile in return. 

"Shall we find something for you to wear?" Tatsumi asked, trying to draw Tsuzuki's attention back to necessities. "From my understanding of the letter, we need not arrive for another hour. That should give us plenty of time."

***

They stood before the building, waiting for the long line of guests to dissipate before they entered. Well, "building" wasn't the right word. To say it was a mansion would have been more correct. 

Tatsumi adjusted Tsuzuki's cuff again, working the safety pin that kept it rolled up in its neat manner into a more secure position. Tatsumi felt somewhat guilty for giving Tsuzuki a suit he hadn't worn for nearly seven years. However, it was the only formal wear he could find that would fit the younger man. Sighing in vexation, Tatsumi gave it a final tug, and stepped back to look Tsuzuki over. Every thing looked alright except . . . 

Tsuzuki violently objected when Tatsumi started straightening his tie. "Tatsumi!" je choked out, thankfully too quietly for anyone to notice. Tatsumi gave Tsuzuki a warning look as the latter reached up to loosen the black knot. "You . . . tied it weirdly," Tsuzuki gritted his teeth at he yanked at the knot.

"Yes," Tatsumi admitted unashamedly. "I suppose if you work at it for most of the night you might be able to undo it," He admitted coolly. "Now, shall we go?" he tugged Tsuzuki's sleeve towards the mansion.

Being admitted was quite simple. All Tatsumi needed to do was hand the guard his and Tsuzuki's invitation, and they were soon in the main room, with most of the other guests.

"So," Tsuzuki began cheerfully. "Now what?"

Tatsumi straightened his own tie, drawing a deep breath. "Now," he eyed the crowed warily, "We join the other guests and discuss various topics."

Tsuzuki gave him a dubious look. "That's it?" He asked hesitantly. Tatsumi, still not looking at him, nodded.

"Yes, as guests this is our only duty." Tatsumi replied. He glanced down at Tsuzuki and gave him a quick smile. "Please do not worry; I am certain that this evening will pass smoothly." 

Tsuzuki subtly slid his hand over to touch Tatsumi's. "I believe you." Tsuzuki promised the blue-eyed man. Tatsumi smiled, and gestured for Tsuzuki to follow him.

Unfortunately following Tatsumi as he waded through the crowd with an easy grace was like trying to follow a sheep through a herd. Everyone was wearing tuxedoes, and most of the guests had brown hair.

"Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki called out, hopping that the other man could hear him. "Tatsumi!" The noise of the crowd swallowed up his voice. Tsuzuki gave the direction that he had last seen Tatsumi a pained look, and slowly retreated back to the fringe of the crowd. Once reaching there, he slumped against a wall, and sighed mournfully.

"Are you alright?" A deep voice boomed next to him. Nodding his head, Tsuzuki looked up and started. The figure next to him also looked surprised, but quickly recovered. "Tsuzuki-san," The man smiled pleasantly. "I am quite pleased to see you."

Tsuzuki perked up, remembering where he had last seen this man. "Hey, you're . . ." Tsuzuki hesitated, sounding out each syllable until it sounded right. "Mu . . . ra . . . ki . . . Ka . . . zu . . . ?" He paused hanging his head in shame. "I'm sorry," He began, "I'm bad with names."

At least Muraki didn't look insulted. "Then I should be honored that you remember as much as you do." He replied smoothly. "Kazutaka."

Tsuzuki smiled sheepishly. "I'll see if I can't remember that." He offered.

Muraki chuckled lowly, a pleasantly rich baritone. "I do believe it would be easier with practice." He noted gently.

"I guess so," Tsuzuki replied pleasantly. "So, how have you been?" He asked Muraki.

"Please come closer, Tsuzuki-san." Muraki beckoned the younger man. "I do apologize, but with the crowd I cannot hear you clearly."

"Oh, sure," Tsuzuki slid along the wall until they were a few inches apart. "How have you been?" He asked again, a little louder.

Shaking his silvery hair out of his face, the silvery man inclined his head. "Thank you for asking, I have been quite well." He gently placed a hand on Tsuzuki's shoulder. "I do hope you have been the same." He murmured lowly.

Tsuzuki happily nodded. "Yeah," He smiled at the man who was now a few inches away from him.

The man smiled back. "That is quite good." He said, the hand sliding across Tsuzuki's shoulder blade, until it rested against the base of his throat. The other hand gently brushed against Tsuzuki's pant leg. Shifting nervously, Tsuzuki kept his smile up. "You see-"

"Muraki-san!" The new voice boomed only a few feet away from them. "Please do not agitate Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi pushed through the last few people, and stood a bare foot away from the two.

"Tatsumi-san," Muraki greeted in a bored voice. "May I ask why you are disturbing us?" 

Tsuzuki quickly freed himself of Muraki's grip. "Tatsumi!" He wondered if he sounded as relieved as he felt. "You found me!"

Tatsumi barely shifted his eyes from Muraki to Tsuzuki long enough to acknowledge his presence before glaring at Muraki with renewed rage. Carefully he circled around them so he stood between Tsuzuki and Muraki. "Muraki-san," Tatsumi began slowly. "Please tell me what your intentions are."

Muraki lifted his head in a sneer, returning Tatsumi's glare. "What are my . . . intentions? Perhaps I should inquire as to yours." 

"Err . . . I'll just be going now-"

"I do not intend to seduce Tsuzuki-san in the middle of my uncle's ballroom." Tatsumi growled back at him. "Which, as far as an observer would have been able to tell, were your intentions."

Muraki's mouth twisted in a sardonic grin. "You seem somewhat over protective of Tsuzuki-san." He commented in a bored tone which the intensity of his gaze conflicted with. "Please do not attempt to explain that to me as simple friendship."

***

Tsuzuki sighed, sliding down the wall in comfort. As nice as Tatsumi and Muraki seemed when they were alone, together they were both scary. Well, for a minute there Muraki had been getting a little too close.

Still, being alone in the hallway was better then being in the crowded room with Muraki and Tatsumi.

Speaking of being alone in a hallway, Tsuzuki didn't really remember the rout he had taken to get here. When Tatsumi had stood in front of him, Tsuzuki had taken the opportunity to run through the first door he encountered. And then took the first right he could, then left-no right, and then . . .

Sighing mournfully, slowly stood up, and wandered back into the general direction he had came from. He wondered why this place didn't have a 'you are here' map.

Tsuzuki frowned as he came to the next intersection of hallways. He didn't remember there being doors. But he hadn't really been paying attention to his surroundings when he had been running, so it was possible that he had missed them. He tried one random door, and to his surprise, it was locked. Moaning in resignation, he continued along the desolate hallway.

It was so slight he by all means should have missed it. A slight darkening on the edges of a door made him stop and give it a closer look. Looking around the empty hallway, Tsuzuki cautiously placed the palm of his hand on the door and pushed. The darkness at the edges thickened, and the door made a creaking noise as it swung open.

It was utterly black inside, and Tsuzuki had to grope along the wall until he could find a switch. The sudden, bright light that seemingly exploded through the room was blinding. Tsuzuki flinched back, throwing an arm over his face protectively. One his eyes cleared, he was able to get a good look.

The room looked a lot like his office. The only difference was that the chair looked a bit more comfortable, and there was a bookshelf lining one of the walls. Even the large window was in the same place as his office.

Tsuzuki considered the window for a moment. Yeah, it seemed less than dignified to escape the building from a window, but it was either that or return to the hallway and hope he could find his way out. Decided, Tsuzuki crossed the room determinedly.

A plain, unremarkable book sat on the desk top. It was so unremarkable that in most cases, Tsuzuki would have passed it with out noticing. However, not only did Tsuzuki notice the book, he stopped and picked it up. The cover was a dusty green, and held no clues as to what might be within the book.

"Oh," A voice from behind Tsuzuki called out. "You enjoy Marquise de Sade?" The voice asked as Tsuzuki turned around

"What?" Tsuzuki asked in an outraged voice.

The man in the door was smiled secretively. "The book you are holding." Tsuzuki threw the book on the table, backing away from it towards the window. The man grinned widely at Tsuzuki's antics, following him.

"Who are you?" Tsuzuki asked warily, stopping abruptly when he contacted with the glass window.

"An admirer of beauty," The man looked Tsuzuki over, still grinning widely. "You may call me Hakushaku." The man said cordially, still advancing with the grace and carelessness of a cat.

"Um, nice to meet you," Tsuzuki chuckled nervously.

"Oh," The man had reached Tsuzuki, and reached out a hand to gently touch Tsuzuki's cheek. "You have lovely eyes," The man informed Tsuzuki, brushing his hair back.

"Err . . . thanks," Tsuzuki quickly ducked under the hand and ran out and around him. "Well, nice to meet you and all," Tsuzuki fumbled with the door latch. "But I guess I'll be going now,"

"Oh surely you can stay for just a little bit longer." Hakushaku sighed lustfully, quickly moving towards Tsuzuki.

Tsuzuki hurried around the door and tried to pull it shut behind him. "No, I think I should meet up with my friend," He said hurriedly backing away as Hakushaku pulled the door open and hurried out. "He's probably worried-"

"Are you lost?" The man asked predatorily. "I could give you a little tour around the mansion, centering mostly on my personal rooms and the bed within them."

"No!" Tsuzuki's voice cracked as he hurried away from the man. "No, I'm sure my friend's really worried, and I don't want to worry him any more-"

"Don't be shy," The man hurried after him. "Such things are natural between two people who are in love!"

"But I don't even know you!" Tsuzuki shouted back, sprinting through the hallway.

"We'll have plenty of time for chatting afterwards!" The man promised trying to catch up to the purple-eyed man.

***

"Tell me," Muraki's mouth was twisted in a cruel smile. "How does one of my dearest uncles fare?"

Tatsumi gritted his teeth. "I do regret to say that I do not know. My father and I have drifted apart in the past years."

"What a shame," Muraki commented dryly. "I would have thought you would feel close to the man who took in you and your mother after that drunken man abandoned the two of you."

Before Tatsumi could think of a rebuttal, a sudden disturbance in the crowd broke the moment and the two men glanced over to see what was up. They were both astonished to see people getting knocked out of the way by someone headed towards the entrance.

"Wait, please!" A familiar voice called out from a door, and hurried towards the disturbance. "Don't worry, I'll be quite gentle!" Hakushaku pushed through his guests, also making his way towards the entrance.

"I am glad that Tsuzuki-san is not near this." Muraki commented to Tatsumi. The blue-eyed man nodded, and glanced behind him to see what Tsuzuki was up to. The empty spot was not encouraging.

"Where did Tsuzuki-san get off to?" he asked quietly.

His question was quickly answered as Tsuzuki broke through a ring of guests near them, sprinting towards the entrance. Blinking confusedly, both Tatsumi and Muraki hurried to stop him.

"Let go!" Tsuzuki struggled frantically. Tatsumi, who was doing most of the restraining, had to quickly jerk his head back to avoid Tsuzuki's elbow. Muraki grunted softly as one of Tsuzuki's feet slammed into his gut. "Let me go!" he screamed.

"Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi wrapped his arms around Tsuzuki's torso to stop the younger man's frantic struggles. "Please calm down." 

"Ah, your name is Tsuzuki," Hakushaku said from somewhere above Tatsumi. "Knowing you name only makes the experience sweeter."

"What are you talking about?" Muraki demanded, also above Tatsumi.

"Oh, my two favorite nephews," Hakushaku belatedly greeted them. "I see you have met your new uncle!"

Tatsumi looked up sharply, giving Hakushaku a wide-eyed look. Muraki blinked a few times, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. Tsuzuki abruptly gave up struggling, and rested against Tatsumi, whimpering.

"Excuse me," Muraki finally found his voice. "I do not believe I heard you correctly."

"I do apologizing for contradicting you," said Tatsumi, while leaning over Tsuzuki protectively. "But I do feel you are mistaken. Tsuzuki-san is not going to marry you." Tatsumi's glasses glinted dangerously.

Hakushaku suddenly lunged over Tatsumi to try to get a grip on the suit Tsuzuki was wearing. Thankfully, at the last minute, Muraki leaned over and restrained him.

"Spoil sport." Hakushaku stuck his tongue out at Tatsumi. Tatsumi only gave him a disgusted look while helping Tsuzuki to his feet.

"I do apologize," Tatsumi stood protectively between Hakushaku and Tsuzuki. "But Tsuzuki-san and I must retire early tonight. Goodnight, uncle, cousin." With that, Tatsumi turned and herded Tsuzuki out of the building.

***

Tatsumi smoothed out the wrinkle lines of the tuxedo Tsuzuki had been wearing. 

"Well," Tsuzuki said awkwardly from behind him. "Thanks for the loan." He smiled at Tatsumi as the blue-eyed man turned to him.

"Are you certain you are well?" Tatsumi asked worriedly. "My uncle has always been a bit . . . eccentric, but I do believe he has gone too far this time."

Tsuzuki waved his hand disarmingly. "Don't worry. Nothing happened; I just got the aerobic work out of my life." Tsuzuki shook his head and smiled again at Tatsumi. "I'll be fine, maybe just a little sore from running in the morning."

Tatsumi pursed his lips, frowning slightly at Tsuzuki before nodding in acceptance. "If you are certain-"

"Of course!" Tsuzuki grinned energetically at him. "It takes more than one lecherous man to get me down!" Tsuzuki's smile turned rueful. "But I am really sorry."

"You are sorry for what?" Tatsumi asked worriedly, gently grasping the cloth at Tsuzuki's shoulders. Tsuzuki, looking at Tatsumi's feet, sighed gently. "What is it?" Tatsumi resisted the urge to shake Tsuzuki.

"I'm sorry for dragging you along with me," He finally said, looking somewhere to the right of Tatsumi. "I didn't know Muraki would be there, and you and he don't get along, so-"

"Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi cut him off, releasing the cloth at Tsuzuki's shoulder to tilt the smaller man's face up. "Please do not concern yourself with Muraki and me."

"I know," Although Tsuzuki was facing him; he still refused to meet Tatsumi's eyes. "But if I hadn't made you come then you wouldn't have had such a bad time.

"Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi gently breathed his voice. "You did not cause Muraki-san's and my confrontation," Tatsumi promised him gently. "Our problems are not your fault."

"And now I owe you both for dinner, and tonight!" Tsuzuki gave Tatsumi an apologetic smile, finally meeting his eyes. "So I'll find some way of making it up to you I promise!" Tsuzuki smiled, most of his optimism showing again. Not being able to resist it, Tatsumi smiled back weakly.

"Tsuzuki-san, please do not feel that you owe me anything," Tatsumi requested, absently remembering to release Tsuzuki's chin.

Tsuzuki shook his head. "Really Tatsumi, I'll make it up to you." He promised again more firmly.

"If you insist," Tatsumi finally gave in. Tsuzuki closed his eyes as he nodded cheerfully. "Do you feel better?" Tatsumi asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll go back to my apartment tonight though," Tsuzuki admitted regretfully. "It's cold and dark and empty and-"

"If you wish to," Tatsumi quickly cut him off. "You may stay here."

Tsuzuki stopped and blinked at him owlishly. "Tatsumi-"

"It will be alright," Tatsumi continued. "I have extra blankets in some boxes for the winter season. I have been meaning to sell them, but I am certain that one more use will not bring down the price."

"Thanks," Tsuzuki began. Tatsumi started to turn, getting ready to retrieve the necessary bedding for Tsuzuki. "But no thanks." 

"What?" Tatsumi asked, startled. "Are you certain?"

"It's okay!" Tsuzuki grinned at Tatsumi. "I'll just crash with Watari tonight."

"Watari-san?" Tatsumi asked. "He might not be equipped to handle a guest,"

"Oh, we can just grab stuff from my apartment." Tsuzuki replied obliviously. "And in the morning, I can make pancakes!" he smiled cheerfully at Tatsumi, but this time Tatsumi didn't return it. "Besides, I already owe you for the evening; I don't want to owe you for tonight as well!"

"You do not owe me for-"

"Don't worry!" Tsuzuki was still smiling at him. "I'll be fine!" It was painful. "Besides, this way, with out me imposing on you all the time, we'll still be friends." his world slid to a shattering halt. Tatsumi forced a smile that he didn't feel. 

"Yes, friends."

Tsuzuki was still smiling. "You see, it's good that I'm not forcing you to make all these exceptions for me. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow." 

"Goodnight!" Tsuzuki opened the door and shut it a little too loudly behind him, making Tatsumi flinch involuntarily. 

Tatsumi didn't know how long he stared at the doorway Tsuzuki had gone through. Then, realizing what he was doing, what was happening, Tatsumi shook himself.

He still had to straighten out the suit Tsuzuki had borrowed. 

-Akira

Even More Demented Rambling: Okay, I know that Hakushaku-sama's technically an invisible person who, as far as most people can tell, is a floating mask and pair of gloves. Deciding not to touch on that, (and glaring at the single eye and mouth that the 9th manga gives us) I just gave up on describing him.

Tsuzuki's coworker (and possible boss): Don't worry, I'll stop with the inane descriptions I've forced everyone to sit through, starting at the end of the sequel, "What Exactly is it that Tsuzuki Does?"


	5. What Exactly is it that Tsuzuki Does?

Disclaimer: I'm too broke to own my own computer, much less Yami no Matsuei

Life is

Part 5

What is it that Tsuzuki Does?

"Please wait, Tsuzuki-san." at hearing his name, Tsuzuki curiously glanced behind him. He smiled when he saw Tatsumi locking the door to his apartment.

"Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki called out, bounding towards the other man. "Hey!"

After putting away his key, Tatsumi looked up and managed a smile for the other man. "Good morning." he greeted softly. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Tsuzuki wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "Watari snores really loudly." he complained. "I ended up returning to my apartment in the middle of the night."

"What a shame." Tatsumi commented, somewhat relieved.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't too bad." Tsuzuki shrugged dismissively. "It was actually a bit better; Watari's floor is really hard!"

Tatsumi made a sympathetic sound. "I would imagine." he smiled and gestured towards the stairwell. "Shall we walk to work together?"

Tsuzuki nodded and led the way to the street. "Oh, I was thinking," he began hesitantly. Tatsumi made a sound of encouragement, and he continued. "Maybe we could try again to have lunch together?"

Tatsumi pressed his lips together considering. "I do apologize, but my various breaks are unpredictable." he informed Tsuzuki. "I am not certain on when I will be able to join you today."

"Oh, that's okay," Tsuzuki quickly replied. "I can work until you're ready."

"Are you certain?" Tatsumi asked concernedly. "It might be a long time, and I would not wish for you to feel obligated to wait for me."

Tsuzuki nodded. "Of course I'm sure!" he chastised the blue eyed man. "Friends have lunch together all the time."

Tatsumi's smile grew slightly strained, but thankfully Tsuzuki was too busy observing the restaurants to notice. "Yes, I do suppose you are correct." Tatsumi admitted. "Very well, shall I drop by your work?" he offered. Tsuzuki beamed as he smiled and nodded. Tatsumi looked up and realized that they had reached the street corner at which they would separate. "Until then, Tsuzuki-san." 

Tsuzuki smiled and waved. "Bye, Tatsumi."

***

Tatsumi pushed through the glass doors and strode into the company building. Spying a young man lounging behind a desk, Tatsumi imperiously strode towards the hapless man.

"Excuse me," he began impatiently. "But could you tell me where Tsuzuki-san might be?"

"Huh?" the young man's wild hair that stuck in every direction imaginable swayed dangerously. "Tsuzuki . . . san?"

"Yes," Tatsumi tried his best to fight the impulse to hand the young man a hair brush. "I do believe he might be working as a secretary."

The young man flipped through some records. "Nope, no secretaries by the name of Tsuzuki," he reported cheerfully. "Are you sure you have the right place?"

"I do apologize, but I am quite certain that Tsuzuki-san mentioned that he worked in this building." Tatsumi eyed the young man's long hair, clasping his hands so they wouldn't seek out a pair of scissors. 

The young man flipped through some more. "Well, there is one Tsuzuki," the young man began hesitantly.

"Would you be kind enough to direct me to him?" Tatsumi asked tiredly.

"Sorry," the young man grinned cheekily at him. "I can't, unless you would like to schedule a meeting." Tatsumi was informed with relish.

"Excuse me for asking but how-"

The doors behind Tatsumi were flung open, the noise of them banging against the wall making both him and the young man flinch. An irate man stomped towards them, and slammed something down on the desk. 

"I would like to meet with your president." the man growled at the person before him. The young man blinked confusedly. The man whirled to Tatsumi, and flashed a badge. "Take me to your president!" he demanded.

Tatsumi regarded him coolly. "You are a private detective, are you not?" Tatsumi asked the man, and was rewarded with a quick nod. "I do apologize, but I do not work here."

The man regarded him warily, but nodded in acceptance. "So," he said curtly, turning towards the young man again. "I need to see your president."

The young man glanced from him to Tatsumi, and shrugged while pressing a button. "I'll have you escorted to the president's office. If you can manage to get in to see him, then he's all yours."

Suddenly a woman with long dark hair, and wearing a security uniform entered the room. "Nee-san," The young boy called out. "For some reason, these people need to see the president."

"No, I only wish to see-" 

"Alright," The woman said cheerfully, though Tatsumi thought she might have eyed them suspiciously. "Come this way." She called out, walking towards the way she had come from. Tatsumi sighed, but hoping that this would at least get him to see Tsuzuki, followed in her wake. Terazuma was already ahead of him, following the tall woman, glancing from side to side suspiciously.

Tatsumi's disquiet only rose as they entered an elevator. "I do not wish to meet with your president," he informed the woman. "I only wish to meet up with Tsuzuki Asato-san."

For a moment the woman seemed to eye him suspiciously again, but nearly immediately she was cheerful again. "I think it would be best if you come with me."

Tatsumi massaged the bridge of his nose, but nodded in acquiesce. 

The elevator came to a halt, and the woman led them out. "Normally we don't do this." she informed them. "But seeing as you are a high level employee," she nodded at Tatsumi. "We're making an exception. We just need to have you checked out, then one more stop to see if we can get someone to contact him." the woman abruptly gestured towards a door, ushering the two men to go inside. 

The room was dark, a harsh bright light emanating from just above Tatsumi's head. He squinted as he glanced around the room, but he had to do this twice before he noticed the figure standing in the farthest corner. Beyond that, he couldn't make out anything.

"Taimou," the woman behind them called out. "Do you have any data on either of these people?" 

There was a shuffling noise before Taimou responded. "Tatsumi Seiichirou and Terazuma Hajime," was the muffled response.

"Are they a threat to Tenkuu?"

"No, we are not." Terazuma growled at the person in front of them. "And who's Tenkuu?" he asked suspiciously.

"Tenkuu is the name of this company." the woman informed him.

"That man is a private investigator hired by another company. The other man poses no threat."

"Thank you." the woman told Taimou. "If you find anything else, don't hesitate to contact me."

"Yes, Suzaku-sama," Taimou bowed as the woman led them out of the room. 

"Follow me." Suzaku called out at them, already walking away. "Just one more stop, and we can see the president."

They came to another door, and Suzaku knocked once before entering. "Rikugou," She greeted the startled tall, blonde man in the room. "We need to meet with Genbu." 

"Oh," Rikugou greeted. "I am sorry, but I think he's in another board meeting."

"Please find out." Suzaku requested. Rikugou nodded and stood, heading towards the doorway they had just entered through. 

"Alright, please wait here for me." he requested as he went out the door.

Tatsumi sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. Hopefully the president might be willing to give him a straight answer.

Several minutes later, the door opened, and Rikugou entered. It took Tatsumi a few minutes to notice that a little old man about the height of his knee had followed the blonde.

"Yes?" the little old man, whom Tatsumi guessed was Genbu, asked confusedly.

"Is the president available?" Suzaku asked.

"Are you a board member?" Terazuma asked at the same time, pulling out a tape recorder from his jacket.

"Um," Genbu shrugged hopelessly. "Yes?"

Rikugou gave Suzaku a startled look. "I do believe that Touda might know if the president is available."

Suzaku clenched a fist. "Good for him." she growled at the air before her. "Can you find out for me?" she asked, her cheerful demeanor returning.

"I can do that." Rikugou offered, moving to an intercom in the corner of the room.

"I need your permission to record everything you say." Terazuma growled as he held the tape recorder a few inches from Genbu's face.

"Hey, you have a nice office." Genbu remarked, ignoring Terazuma as he moved his head around. As his eyebrows covered his eyes, Tatsumi wondered how he could tell. "It's really neat."

"The president has no appointments at this time." Rikugou reported to the group in general. "If you want, I can take them to him," he offered Suzaku. "I have to deliver some reports, so it won't be any hassle."

"Answer me!"

"I think you should have some couches."

"Not near Touda." Suzaku growled. "No, I'll take them." Tatsumi suddenly understood what it was like to be lost baggage.

"Just say yes!"

"Maybe with satin coverings,"

Rikugou smiled and shrugged. "As you will have it, Nee-san, but I still will come with you."

"And make them green coverings."

Rikugou walked over to them, and suddenly kicked Genbu out of the way. Terazuma jumped back from him, giving him a startled look. "Shall we go?" he asked congenially, ignoring the heap of Genbu's body.

The next stop was just outside a pair of double doors at the end of a long hallway. 

Suzaku stared at the door, shaking from repressed rage. Tatsumi rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering how much of a lunch break he and Tsuzuki could get. Terazuma tried to light up a cigarette, but Rikugou reached over and stopped him.

"Do you want me to check to see if Touda's in there?" Rikugou offered her. Suzaku, with a look of rage, shook her head and irritably pushed past the doors.

"Touda!" She snarled as she entered the room. "We need to see the president!" 

A tall, dark man sitting behind a desk in front of another door looked up disinterestedly. "Good for you." he commented in a bored tone. "I'm sure you can open the door yourself, unless you are worried about getting lost as you cross this room."

Still shaking from rage, Suzaku stormed across the room, nearly dragging Tatsumi and Terazuma behind her. Tatsumi glanced around disinterestedly until his eyes came across the form of Touda. Was it just his imagination, or was Touda glaring at him from the shiny visor.

Suzaku threw the door behind Touda open and stormed inside. "Tsuzuki!" She called out, suddenly cheerfully. "You have visitors!"

***

Tsuzuki had spent the last five minutes waiting for Tatsumi in a sleep-filled nap. Suzaku's sudden entrance jolted him from his daze, and he smiled and waved at her. "Suzaku-nee-san," he greeted happily. "I do?"

Tatsumi entered from behind her, as well as a man whom Tsuzuki only partially recognized. Smiling at Tatsumi, he focused his attention on the new man. "Hey, are you Terazuma Hajime?" he asked suddenly.

Terazuma was not prepared for Tsuzuki to know his name. "Y-yes," he responded, perturbed.

"Wakaba-chan's told me all about you." Tsuzuki exclaimed, hurrying around his desk to shake hands. "I'm glad to finally meet you!"

"You know Kannuki?" Terazuma asked, still perturbed. Tsuzuki nodded and smiled, turning to Tatsumi.

"What took you so long?" he asked by way of greeting.

"Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi quickly got over his shock of seeing Tsuzuki. "I do apologize, but you never mentioned to me that you were the president of this company."

Tsuzuki blinked confusedly. "I'm what?"

Tatsumi stopped and gave him an intense stare. Seeing that Tsuzuki really didn't have much of an idea as to what he was talking about, Tatsumi sighed despairingly.

Sometime during all this, Touda had entered the room. "You're the president." he agreed in a gentler tone than he had used on the rest of them.

It took a wild dive by both Touda and Tatsumi to catch Tsuzuki as he fainted.

***

"So what does that make you?" Tsuzuki asked as Tatsumi held an ice pack to his head. "The Vice President?"

"I am your personal assistant." Touda responded chidingly. "You hired me yourself." He picked up the stack of papers Tsuzuki had been using as a pillow and handed them to Rikugou.

"Oh, I did?" Tsuzuki asked faintly. Touda nodded curtly, trying to push Tatsumi aside so he could fan Tsuzuki. "What is it that we do?" he asked Touda.

Touda actually hesitated. "I think the vice president would be the best person to answer that." he informed Tsuzuki.

"Good!" Terazuma called out. "Maybe I can get a straight answer from someone!" He tried to light up again, but was stopped this time by Suzaku.

"Do you mind?" Tsuzuki asked, looking at Tatsumi. "I know this is your lunch break, and if you want to go-"

"Please do not concern your self with me," Tatsumi reassured him. "I do not mind attending to this matter with you."

Tsuzuki smiled brightly. "Thanks, Tatsumi." He grasped the hand that was holding the icepack to his head and squeezed it. 

"Let's go." Touda said, abruptly interrupting them.

"Okay!" Tsuzuki said, jumping away from Tatsumi's ministrations. Tatsumi placed the icepack into the garbage as he rose to follow them.

As Tsuzuki lead the way with Touda right behind him, Terazuma hurried up to walk next to Tatsumi. "You really are messed up, aren't you?" Terazuma asked him darkly.

"What do you mean?" Tatsumi asked, shocked. Terazuma pointed at Tsuzuki before falling behind him. Shaking his head over the other man's antics, Tatsumi picked up his pace so he was nearly even with Touda by the time Tsuzuki came to a stop.

"We're here!" he announced to the small group before pushing the doors open.

A man with long blue hair looked up sharply at their entrance. "Tsuzuki-san." the man greeted. "May I inquire as to your sudden visit?"

"Souryu," Tsuzuki greeted enthusiastically. "We need to figure something out." Tsuzuki stopped and blinked. "Are you the vice president?" he asked belatedly.

Souryu ignored Tsuzuki for the moment, sweeping his gaze over Touda, Tatsumi, Terazuma, Suzaku, and Rikugou. "All of you?"

"Hey, let me see that!" Terazuma pushed past Tsuzuki to look over a file on Souryu's desk. Souryu gave him a dark glare, and protectively slid the file away from the detective. "Just as I thought!" he yelled with evil intent. "That is the goal of Tenkuu!"

"What?" Tsuzuki asked curiously, looking over Terazuma's shoulder. "What is our goal?"

"You are trying to form a monopoly!" Terazuma grinned as he wrote something down in a note pad he had produced. "Maybe even trying to take over the world."

Thankfully Tsuzuki was standing in front of Tatsumi, or else the blue-eyed man might not have caught him in time as the purple-eyed man fainted again.

***

"Well," Tatsumi looked up quizzically at Tsuzuki as he poured his cup full of tea. 

"Yes, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked.

"I told you I wasn't a secretary." Tsuzuki smiled at him before his expression sobered. "But I really didn't expect this."

Tatsumi dumped a few spoonfuls of sugar into Tsuzuki's tea. "Yes, however your company is still very new." Tatsumi reminded Tsuzuki. "And because of that, you have the smallest salary of everyone."

Tsuzuki sighed and nodded. "At least I still have enough to meet ends." He smiled at that. "Oh, I just realized something!" he said, making a fist and clasping it in his hand.

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. "What might _this revelation be?" he asked congenially. _

"You never told me what it is that you do!" Tsuzuki smiled at him. "Neither has Muraki," he added as an afterthought. "But it was easy to guess with him."

Tatsumi sipped his tea to hide his expression. "There is more to him than simply being a doctor." Tatsumi informed the younger man.

Tsuzuki blinked. "Really?" he asked. Tatsumi nodded once, and concentrated on his tea. "Well," Tsuzuki began warily. "Shall we order lunch?"

Tatsumi nodded, but before he could do anything further a high-pitched beeping noise went off. 

"Uh," Tsuzuki said perceptively. "You're beeping." Tatsumi, who was looking at his pager, nodded at Tsuzuki's statement. 

"I do apologize," Tatsumi began, standing. "But I am needed back at work." Before Tsuzuki could say anything on that matter, Tatsumi continued. "Perhaps we should schedule this for another time."

"Uh," Tsuzuki's indecisive voice responded. "Sure, I guess." Tatsumi nodded again, and hurried out of the restaurant. 

Tsuzuki sighed, propping up his head on his elbows. He looked up as a waiter came over to him to take his order. "Do you have any deserts?" he asked hopefully.

-Akira


	6. A Date

Disclaimer: Nothing here belongs to me.

Life is 

Part 6

A Date

"Good afternoon, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi greeted cordially. "I am pleased to see that you look well today."

Tsuzuki grinned cheekily back. "Of course I'm okay!" He absently ran a hand through his tangled locks. "Hey, do you have a free day tomorrow?"

Tatsumi pressed his lips together in confusion. "Well, yes." he admitted. "May I ask why?"

"Well, I have tomorrow off," Tsuzuki began. "And I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me."

Tatsumi suspiciously raised his eyebrow. "May I ask what you had in mind?"

"Well," Tsuzuki nervously rubbed at the back of his neck. "I don't really have anything in mind, but there has to be something we can do." Tsuzuki raised his finger before his face and ticked off the digits. "Let's see, we could go window-shopping, there's a new fountain in the park, an art museum, a new pool-"

"Oh," Tatsumi nodded in understanding. "Shall we go swimming?" he offered. "The indoor swimming pool is relatively inexpensive."

"Ah," Tsuzuki's voice caught in his throat. "Well, I guess so . . ."

"Is there a problem with this?" Tatsumi asked curiously.

"Well," Tsuzuki wasn't looking at him anymore. "I don't really know how to swim."

"Is that all?" Tatsumi smiled at him, suddenly feeling benevolent. "I could assist you in learning how to swim."

Tsuzuki's gaze snapped back to Tatsumi's. "Well . . . are you sure that's okay?" Tatsumi nodded generously. "Well . . . but I don't have a swim suit."

Tatsumi pursed his lips together in a thin line. "I am certain that you can purchase one easily. Watari-san knows the various stores around this area. Perhaps you and he will be able to find one."

Tsuzuki smiled and shrugged. "Okay, I'll ask him."

Tatsumi gracefully bowed his head. "Then I shall meet up with you at your apartment at noon tomorrow. Until then, goodbye,"

Tsuzuki waved as the blue-eyed man disappeared out of view.

***

"Hey, Tatsumi!" Tatsumi blinked in astonishment as Watari cheekily waved at him from his door. 

"Watari-san," Tatsumi greeted. "May I ask what brings you here?"

"I just finished shopping with Tsuzuki," Watari tried to step inside the other man's apartment, but Tatsumi was firmly in his way. "And we found the perfect suit!" Watari chuckled at this. 

"Oh," Tatsumi replied bewilderedly. "Is this what you came to report to me?'

Watari shook his hair out of his face. "Kind of," he admitted. "But I'm glad you're going with Tsuzuki. He seemed really down when he asked me to go."

The expression on Tatsumi's face might have been a frown. "He requested for you to accompany us?"

"Oh, no," Watari shook his head. "Earlier today he had asked me if I was free tomorrow, and you know how the repair jobs go."

"Yes, I do recall you mentioning this before." Tatsumi replied coldly.

"Well, anyways, that actually was the part of the reason I came over. To thank you for doing this, I mean. I know how you don't like spending your free days with other people, so," Watari shrugged.

"You are correct in that belief." Tatsumi stepped back, but before Watari could attempt to follow him into the apartment, the door was closing. "Thank you for your visit," Tatsumi said cordially. "Goodnight, Watari-san."

"Good-" Tatsumi closed the door before Watari could get any more out. 

Tatsumi walked through his apartment towards his bedroom, pausing briefly before a mirror. He met his reflections eyes and smiled sardonically. 

"Second best."

***

"Tsuzuki-san, I believe it would be easier to learn how to swim if you would get in the water." Tatsumi commented dryly.

Tsuzuki clutched the towel even more firmly, giving Tatsumi a distrustful look. Tatsumi raised his arms from the waist-deep water in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "Please Tsuzuki-san. Besides me, there are several life guards here. You will not drown."

This convinced Tsuzuki to creep forward enough to dip his toe in the water. Almost immediately he scurried back to his original position. "It's cold." He complained, clutching the towel closer to his body.

"It will get warmer once you get used to it." Tatsumi promised, still holding his arms outstretched. "Please come in."

Warily, Tsuzuki crept forward again. Keeping his gaze locked with Tatsumi's, he curled his toes apprehensively around the edge of the pool. Steeling his breath, Tsuzuki let the towel drop around him as he ascended into the water.

Tatsumi was suddenly treated to what Watari viewed as the perfect suit. The color matched Tsuzuki's amethyst eyes perfectly. Tatsumi might even have liked it, if it had more substance than a thong.

It took most of his self control to keep his face from heating. Focusing his gaze firmly on Tsuzuki's face, Tatsumi gritted his teeth as Tsuzuki slowly closed the distance between them.

When Tsuzuki finally reached arm distance Tatsumi gestured towards the wall of the pool. "Would you feel better if you stayed near this?"

Tsuzuki looked slightly pale, but nodded anyways. "Yeah, probably," he forced a smile as he said this. Tatsumi smiled back was then forced to wait patiently during the antagonizing slow process of Tsuzuki creeping towards the edge of the pool.

"Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi moved closer to him. "Are you afraid to put your head under the water?"

Tsuzuki blushed slightly, lowering his gaze to the water. "Well, yeah." he admitted ruefully.

"Then perhaps this is what we should first be doing." Tatsumi carefully wrapped his fingers around Tsuzuki's arm. "Try sitting."

Tsuzuki managed to slide down up to his chest, his face becoming paler until it was near white.

"Is this all you can do?" Tatsumi asked, watching him impassively. White faced, Tsuzuki jerked his head in a nod. Tatsumi let out his breath in a long sight. "Do you feel the same way about rain puddles?"

"People don't drown in rain puddles." Tsuzuki breathily replied.

"I suppose you are correct in that." Tatsumi closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Shall we take a break from this?" he offered. "You may sit at the edge of the pool." No sooner had Tatsumi said this then Tsuzuki had levered out of the pool.

Tatsumi pressed his lips as he had yet another eyeful of Tsuzuki. Once again focusing his gaze on Tsuzuki's face, he noted on how pale the purple-eyed man's face was.

"You honestly do not like the water, do you?" Tatsumi asked, trepidation creeping unnoted into his voice.

"No," Tsuzuki's voice was still breathy. He shifted to a more comfortable position, content to let his legs dangle in the pool.

"Do you mind telling me why?" Tatsumi asked him quietly, keeping his gaze firmly on Tatsumi's face.

"Well," Tsuzuki was looking at something past Tatsumi's left ear. "It's kind of embarrassing." he admitted. Tatsumi nodded in encouragement, and Tsuzuki took a deep breath before continuing. "When I was young . . . my family went to the sea." Tsuzuki paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I waded by myself out to the sea . . . and," Tsuzuki hunched his shoulders, gazing ashamedly at the water at his feet. "I was too young to know any better and . . ." 

Tatsumi slid up to the wall next to him comfortingly. "Go on," he urged as Tsuzuki didn't seem inclined to.

"Well, I-" Tsuzuki took another deep breath. "I wasn't looking where I was going and I . . . I . . ." Tatsumi nodded again. 

"I stepped on a jellyfish."

Tatsumi blinked. "And then what happened?"

"It stung me." Tsuzuki flinched at the memory.

"Is that all?" Tatsumi asked darkly, as if daring Tsuzuki to admit it. Shakily, Tsuzuki nodded. "Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi said, massaging the bridge of his nose. "There are no jellyfish surviving in chlorinated water."

"But . . ." Tsuzuki whimpered at Tatsumi's exasperated look. "But . . ."

"Tsuzuki-san," Tsuzuki thought that Tatsumi's smile seemed . . . strained. "If you truthfully are this terrified over water, then perhaps we should stop this for today."

Tsuzuki, still pale, brightened up. "Really?" he asked excitedly. Tatsumi nodded indulgently. 

"Perhaps a person trained in water sports would be a better teacher." Tatsumi admitted. "I fear I will not be able to assist you in this."

Tsuzuki blinked rapidly, watching as Tatsumi bent his head and sighed in despair. "Don't worry," Gingerly, Tsuzuki reached out to touch Tatsumi's hair. Tatsumi flinched at the contact. "Maybe water sports just aren't my thing." Tatsumi shook his head, and looked up to smile at Tsuzuki. There was no doubt about it, his smile was indeed strained.

"Perhaps you are correct." Tatsumi admitted.

"Well," Tsuzuki thought fast, hoping to distract the man before him. "Why don't we get some lunch! There was this cheap looking place a little back."

Tsuzuki waited, holding his breath. Tatsumi thought it over and nodded. "That does sound good." Tatsumi said after a long moment. He gestured towards the changing rooms. "Then, shall we be off?"

***

Upon entering the establishment, Tatsumi immediately choked on the fumes coming from the kitchen. "Over here!" Tsuzuki motioned to a booth that had bright sunlight streaming in on it. Tatsumi followed him, wondering if he should raise his standards of where he would be willing to eat.

"Wow," Tsuzuki, oblivious to Tatsumi's pained state, gazed out the window. "The view is so pretty! Look Tatsumi! We're next to a garden. Oh! I wonder how they did that!" Tsuzuki pressed his nose against the window. Tatsumi smiled at the sight before remembering to look out the window too.

Tsuzuki abruptly turned back to Tatsumi. "Say, what do you think about visiting the gardens next to our apartment a little later?" Tsuzuki asked. "I hear they have a lot of flowers."

"They are lovely," Tatsumi agreed softly, leaning back to watch Tsuzuki. "I have heard that at sunset they are at their best."

Tsuzuki smiled even more, closed his eyes in pleasure. "Oh, this sounds wonderful!" He opened his eyes, gazing back at Tatsumi. "Can we go tonight?"

"I see no reason not to." Tatsumi watched the window light play across Tsuzuki's soft features. "But as I have work tomorrow, I do not believe I will be able to stay after dark very long."

"Oh?" Tsuzuki tilted his head, surprised, and then shrugged. "That's alright. I'll just be happy if you're there too."

"Thank you." Tatsumi had no idea how he should have responded. Then Tsuzuki smiled back at him, and he could only hope he said the right thing.

***

"Look, a rose bush!" Tsuzuki crouched before the rose bush, admiring its flowers. "Oh, have you ever seen yellow roses before?" he asked excitedly.

Tatsumi made a sound of agreement, glancing around quickly. Just as he suspected, several people were watching Tsuzuki's antics.

"Oh, look here!" Tsuzuki drew his attention to a hydrangea, marveling over the soft petals. "It's so pretty!"

"Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi called out to him, momentarily gaining his attention. "Please watch this with me." Tatsumi held out a hand to help Tsuzuki up.

Gratefully excepting the hand, Tsuzuki levered himself off the ground, looking at Tatsumi expectantly. 

"Yes?" he asked.

Tatsumi pointed at something behind him. Tsuzuki turned, and after seeing only more of the garden, turned back confusedly.

Tatsumi smiled indulgently, and gestured again, this time a little higher. He held out his hand until he was certain that Tsuzuki was watching the distant bridge. He bent his head so his mouth was only a few inches away from Tsuzuki's ear. "Please watch this." 

Tsuzuki shivered slightly as he said that. Tatsumi frowned slightly, worried that the younger man might be cold. However, before he could offer Tsuzuki his coat, the purple eyed man gasped in surprise.

Tatsumi watched as well, the bright lights on the bridge flashing in the dying rays of light that the sun offered. Then, the bridge lights were no longer white, much less a uniform color.

The colored lights seemed to ripple, changing from color to color as the sun continued to set. The last color the lights shone, purple, held out as the sky turned dark, slowly fading to its original bright white.

"That was . . ." Tsuzuki shook his head, not sure on how to continue. "I never knew the bridge did _that!"_

"The bridge does displays like this once a month." Tatsumi told him, leading him away from the gardens.

"That was really cool!" Tsuzuki grinned up at Tatsumi as they neared their apartments. "I've never seen anything like it . . . except at the fire works." Tsuzuki thought for a moment. "Why does the bridge do that?"

"It is technically a gift from my family to this city." Tatsumi replied distractedly. "I am not certain how long ago it was donated, but it was long before I had been born. Over the past few years they have added extra decorations to the bridge."

Tsuzuki looked at him confusedly. "You don't talk about your family often." he commented.

"I suppose I do not." Tatsumi agreed. 

Tsuzuki waited, but Tatsumi didn't seem inclined to continue. "Well . . . err . . . I've met your cousin, your uncle . . . do you have any siblings?"

Tatsumi shook his head. "I regret to say that I do not."

Tsuzuki smiled. "Well, that's okay." They had reached the stairwell, and Tsuzuki had time to think as he climbed them. "Um . . . parents?"

"I was under the impression most people do have parents." Tatsumi replied over his shoulder gently.

"What was your father like?" Tatsumi, stopped dead in the stairs, and Tsuzuki had to jump to the side to avoid running into him.

"I do apologize," Tsuzuki glanced down and saw that Tatsumi's hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists. "But I do not feel comfortable discussing my immediate family with you."

"Oh," Tsuzuki embarrassedly rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

Standing still only a few steps from their floor, Tatsumi drew in a deep breath. Tsuzuki strained his ears, and could hear the man slowly count to ten. After Tatsumi did so twice, he turned around suddenly to Tsuzuki.

"Of course not," Tatsumi gave him a smile that even in the dim lighting, Tsuzuki could tell was forced. "Come, the night grows cold."

When they reached Tsuzuki's door, Tatsumi stopped, watching Tsuzuki fumble with his spare key. "I'm really sorry." Tsuzuki told him.

Smiling took less of an effort. "Please do not concern yourself with this." Tsuzuki didn't seem relieved.

"Alright," Tsuzuki waved slightly as he forced his door open. "Well, see you later then."

"Until then, Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi watched as Tsuzuki disappeared in his doorway. The metallic walkway creaked under Tatsumi's shoes as he covered the remaining distance to his apartment.

Opening his door took less effort, and within a minute, Tatsumi was inside, taking off his shoes. He slowly moved through the apartment, pausing briefly in front of a mirror. He watched his reflection, scrutinizing the locks that had been tousled slightly by the air.

"Second best."

Akira


	7. Asato-chan

Sorry for the delay. It's a long interesting story involving my beta reader and I both being sick. 

I own nothing. 

Life is

Part 7

Asato-chan

A high-pitched sound originating from behind him made Tatsumi turn sharply. He glanced suspiciously at the other pedestrians before turning back to the sidewalk.

He had gone to work early and had left work late, so it wouldn't surprise him if it turned out he had been hallucinating. Shrugging, he took a step forwards and fell down.

Struggling to pick himself off of the cold, hard sidewalk, Tatsumi twisted around to see what had happened. Then he froze in terror.

On his right foot, gnawing on his shoelace, was a small, dirty kitten.

 "Stop!" he called out, trying to pull his foot away from the animal. "Please stop this at once." The kitten looked up, mewled, and went back to attacking his shoe.

Tatsumi gritted his teeth together and tried to nudge the kitten away from his shoe with his free foot. 

It didn't help Tatsumi at all when the ball of fur started purring.

"Kitten," he commanded in the firmest tone he could muster. "Please desist in ruining my shoe." When the kitten did not obey, he reached out a gloved hand to blindly nudge the animal away. Because he was craning his head so that the kitten would have no chance of getting it near it, nudging the kitten was a hard thing for him to do.

The kitten abruptly decided that Tatsumi's hand was far more interesting a toy that Tatsumi's shoes were and sunk it's small, thin, delicate teeth into Tatsumi's thin, delicate fingers.

Grinding his teeth together while scooping up the kitten, Tatsumi held it out at arm's length and glanced around warily. The kitten did so as well.

Tatsumi sighed. The kitten yawned. Even if it wasn't dirty and crawling with bugs, he had no desire to support a pet, much less a cat.

He bent and returned it to the ground. "Go home," he ordered, nudging it with the toe of his boot. The kitten looked up and mewled pitifully. Ignoring it, Tatsumi strode away from the animal, toward his apartment.

***

"Hey, Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki stopped him at the top of the stairwell. "Is this the time you normally get home?" 

Tatsumi nodded at him. "Good evening, Tsuzuki-san," he greeted, ignoring the question. "Are you well today?"

"Oh, is that a kitten?" Tsuzuki crouched at the top of the stairs and waggled his fingers. There was a high-pitched mewling noise from behind him, and the kitten from the street erupted from behind his foot. 

"Ah, cute!" Tsuzuki exclaimed, holding the kitten close. The kitten purred noisily, batting at his bangs. "A little dirty, though," he noted as some of the dirt rubbed off on his white shirt. "Where'd you get it?"

"It followed me home." Tsuzuki paused and stared at Tatsumi before concentrating on the kitten with renewed vigor. He had never suspected the blue-eyed man was capable of sounding plaintive. 

"You followed him home, did you?" Tsuzuki asked the kitten. As if in agreement, the kitten meowed loudly.

"Yes, it did," Tatsumi replied, frowning at the kitten.

Tsuzuki balanced the kitten on a hand as if offering it to Tatsumi, who immediately backed off. Before Tatsumi could ask what he was doing, Tsuzuki was lifting the tail. "She," He nodded as he had expected it. Tsuzuki bent and put the kitten back on the ground. "So, are you taking care of her for someone, or is she yours?"

"This kitten simply followed me home from the street," Tatsumi replied, grateful that the kitten was busily pouncing on Tsuzuki's shoe.

"Oh," Tsuzuki shook his head, watching the kitten. "No wonder you're so dirty." He turned back to Tatsumi. "So, are you going to keep her?" 

Tatsumi blinked at the near-desperate look on Tsuzuki's face. "Well, to be blunt, no."

"Oh," Tsuzuki had a strange expression on his face, which he quickly masked over. "Well, I'm sure we can find someone who is willing to keep her. We just need to find that person."

"May I ask how you propose to do that?" Tatsumi watched as the kitten climbed up on Tsuzuki's shoulder, nipping at his ear.

Tsuzuki giggled as the kitten purred noisily in his ear. "I don't know, door to door?"

Tatsumi gave him his best exasperated look. "I do not believe that would be safe." He studied the kitten intently. "Perhaps it would be simpler to give it to an animal shelter."

Tsuzuki shook his head vigorously. "No, I want to make sure she has a nice place." The kitten, balancing delicately on Tsuzuki's shoulder, rubbed up against the side of his face. Tsuzuki smiled and then sneezed violently, nearly dislodging the kitten. "You need a bath!"

Tatsumi blinked, pressing his lips together in a thin line. "May I ask how you intend to do that?"

***

"Here kitty, just relax . . . no, don't claw me . . ." Tsuzuki winced as a thin, delicate claw left yet another bleeding scratch on the side of his hand. "Don't worry," he soothed it. "If you'll just relax, then you'll be nice and clean!" For some reason, the kitten did not believe him. It let out a particularly earsplitting yowl as it scrabbled at the side of the sink with its claws.

Tatsumi, from his vantage point in the hallway outside of the open bathroom door, winced as Tsuzuki's hand suffered yet another scratch. "Perhaps there is another way to bathe the cat," he called out to Tsuzuki. "And perhaps that way involves a place other than your bathroom sink."

Tsuzuki looked up, holding the soaking kitten against his front. "You think so? What is it?"

"I do not know," Tatsumi unashamedly admitted. "Perhaps someone at an animal shelter would know."

Tsuzuki frowned at him. "That wasn't funny." He turned back to the kitten, and tried to dislodge her claws from his shirt.

"Nor was it intended to be." Tatsumi gave Tsuzuki a worried look as he protectively cradled the wet kitten in his arms.

Tatsumi attention snapped away from Tsuzuki when a loud knocking sound emerged from the main door. "Could you get that?" Tsuzuki called out, trying to push the kitten back into the sink.

Tatsumi, with one last worried look at Tsuzuki, headed towards the door.

"Watari-san," Tatsumi greeted the blonde scientist. "What are you doing here?"

Watari grinned and waved back. "Hey Tatsumi. Say, is someone killing someone else?" He tried to look past Tatsumi. "Some of the other tenants are complaining." Another loud yowl from the bathroom echoed throughout Tsuzuki's apartment. 

Tatsumi glanced in the general direction of the yowl. When he looked back at Watari, he found the blonde scientist trying to slide past him. "What are you doing?" Tatsumi asked, despite the fact it was quite obvious what Watari was doing.

"Well, I was . . ." Watari looked slightly abashed. "Well, what are you doing?" he demanded, then stopped, blinking at Tatsumi. "What are you doing talking to me while Tsuzuki's getting murdered?"

"Tsuzuki-san is quite well," Tatsumi promised him. Watari nodded gratefully, and slid past Tatsumi to the interior of Tsuzuki's apartment.

"Tsuzuki!" Watari called out. "Are you still alive? Do you need help?"

"Yeah," Tsuzuki called back from the bathroom. He emerged from the hallway, still holding the wet kitten, which was clinging to him for dear life. "Do you know anything about bathing cats?"

Watari blinked at the kitten, gingerly touching its sodden fur. "Other than it's a bad idea, no."

"Oh," Tsuzuki pouted mournfully as the kitten clambered up his shirt. She dug her claws in his shoulder, mewling pitifully. "Let's get you dry then." The kitten meowed loudly in relief.

Tsuzuki grasped the lone towel from his bathroom, and tried to pull the unyielding kitten off his shoulder.

"Here, let me help you," Watari offered, gently grasping the kitten.

"Hey, Tatsumi," Tsuzuki called out. "Would you mind grabbing something for her to eat from my kitchen? I think there might be some mustard in one of the cabinets."

Tatsumi shook his head. "If you would not mind moving, I will happily assist."

Tsuzuki stopped toweling the kitten, giving Tatsumi a surprised look. "Huh?"

"Allergies," Tatsumi and Watari said at the same time. Tatsumi managed a decent miffed look from across the room.

Tsuzuki's face dawned in understanding. "Oh I see; that's why you don't like the kitten." He resumed toweling the kitten, briefly touching his delicate nose to the small pink triangle on the kitten's face. "Don't worry, he likes you, he just can't get near you."

"I am certain the kitten is relieved," Tatsumi replied in exasperation. Watari and Tsuzuki grinned at him. Tsuzuki released the towel and smiled at the kitten.

Tatsumi adjusted his glasses, eyeing the feline warily. Under all that dirt, the kitten had bright white fur with orange splotches splattered across its face and tail. However, now it looked more like a small ball of fur than a living animal. Bright green eyes that appeared near the top of the fur ball blinked sweetly at him. Tatsumi looked away, gazing out the window.

"So, do you want to keep her?" Tsuzuki asked Watari. 

Watari actually considered it for several minutes. "Well, normally I would, just that I'm not sure how well she and 003 would get together. Why not you?"

Tsuzuki sighed wistfully, shaking his head. "No, I have a bad history with pets, winding up with them running away."

Tatsumi turned his attention back to the kitten. "She seems to like you." He pointed out helpfully. "I would think it unlikely that you could be that bad of an owner."

Tsuzuki blushed, and muttered under his breath so silently that Watari could hardly hear him. Straining his ears, Watari picked up the words, 'lack of funding'.  As Tatsumi oddly enough didn't seem inclined to, Watari grasped control of the situation and clasped Tsuzuki on the back roughly. "Don't worry," he called out cheerfully. "We'll just have to find someone who can keep her."

Tsuzuki gave Watari a rueful smile. "I guess so." He picked up the kitten and absently stroked its fur. Despite the fact Tsuzuki had just given it a bath, within minutes the kitten was purring loudly.

"Well," Watari glanced around Tsuzuki's apartment as if hoping that a new pet owner would spring out of the bare walls.

"Shall we ask Wakaba-san?" Tatsumi broke the silence. Tsuzuki brightened up immediately.

"Yeah, she's pretty good with . . . err . . . things!" Tsuzuki agreed enthusiastically. Tatsumi smiled gently in return, moving towards the door of the apartment.

***

"I'm sorry, but I can't." Wakaba shook her head despairingly. "Hajime-chan's had a lot of bad experiences with cats, so it's best if I don't."

"Oh, well, that's okay," Tsuzuki replied gently. "Thanks anyways." He ignored Tatsumi as the tall man shifted impatiently from across the walkway. 

"Okay, now where to?" Tsuzuki asked Watari loudly enough for Tatsumi to hear them. 

"I dunno." Watari shrugged. "Wakaba was my only bet. Maybe I could ask around at work."

Tsuzuki ticked off his fingers. "Touda doesn't like pets, Souryu is too scary to ask, I don't want to bother Suzaku-nee-san . . . we could ask Rikugou!" Tsuzuki clasped his hands together, his sudden movement nearly dislodging the kitten from his shoulder.

"Who?" Watari glanced from Tsuzuki to Tatsumi confusedly.

"He's an assistant person. He lives across the city," Tsuzuki elaborated. 

Watari rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, that's not good . . ." He returned Tsuzuki's puzzled look with a pained expression. "It takes thirty minutes to get across, and I have to get to work in twenty."

"Oh," Tsuzuki smiled disarmingly. "That's okay. If we still don't have any luck, you can come with us tomorrow."

Watari waved in relief. "Well, see you tomorrow afternoon. Good luck." He turned and retreated back to his apartment. 

"Bye." Tsuzuki called after him, moving towards the stairwell. "Anyways, we can take the subway to get to him."

Tatsumi gave Tsuzuki an intent look. "Are you certain that they allow animals there?"

"Uh, well, no, not really," Tsuzuki admitted remorsefully. "But I can hide her under my coat." 

***

"Normally I would be happy to, but my apartment does not allow pets," Rikugou apologized. "Perhaps Byakko-san can take her in. I think I remember him mentioning that he liked cats."

"Oh, okay." Tsuzuki shrugged dismissively. "Well, sorry to bother you . . ."

"No, it's alright." Rikugou bowed low at Tsuzuki. "Once again, I do apologize,"

"No, no," Tsuzuki waved his free hand frantically, backing away. "It's not your fault. Well, I'll go check with Byakko. Thanks again."

Tatsumi was waiting for him at the end of the hallway. "No luck?" he asked keeping at arm's distance from Tsuzuki and the kitten.

Tsuzuki rubbed the bottom of his chin against the kitten's head. "No, not really, but maybe Byakko can take her in."

"Perhaps you should consider an animal shelter." Tatsumi suggested. "Then people who wish to have pets can select her."

Tsuzuki murmured under his breath, "You make it sound like going to the store." 

"Tsuzuki-san?"

Tsuzuki shook his head wildly. "No, never mind. But I won't rest until I know she has a home."

"Do you not think that you might be taking this bit personally?" Tatsumi stopped walking, waiting until Tsuzuki noticed before continuing. "Do you intend to visit every acquaintance of yours, simply to beg them to take in a cat?"

"If I have to." Tsuzuki smiled and cooed at the kitten. "You're really getting around!"

"Tsuzuki-san, please listen to me." Tsuzuki looked confusedly at Tatsumi. "Everyone who you visit feels obligated to help you."

"What's bad about that?" Tsuzuki asked confusedly.

"As you have seen, most cannot. Those who can offer help are sacrificing time that could be spent otherwise. Most people do not find helping lost kittens as a suitable activity." Tatsumi watched Tsuzuki intently.

The kitten purred noisily into Tsuzuki's ear, nipping at a few dark locks. Tsuzuki mouth was working frantically, but no sound emerged.

"So," his voice sounded painfully strained, and Tatsumi, with a look of concern flashing over his face, almost took a step towards the shaken man. The kitten meowed at him, causing him to stop in his tracks. "You don't want to be here?"

"Tsuzuki-san, you seem to be misunderstanding me," Tatsumi gently chided him. "I do not mean to seem heartless, but-"

"It's alright, I understand." Tsuzuki backed away from him, shaking his head. "Tatsumi, I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"Tsuzuki-san, please wait," Tatsumi ordered. Tsuzuki shook his head again, turning sharply. 

"I'm really sorry. I promise I'll stop bothering you with this." Tsuzuki hurried down the street.

"Tsuzuki-san!" Tatsumi called out. "Please wait!"

***

Tsuzuki leaned against a lamppost, breathing heavily. The kitten mewled pitifully, pawing at his ear.

"It's alright," Tsuzuki told the kitten. "Tatsumi wasn't angry, he just . . . he just doesn't like new people that much."

The kitten mewled sympathetically.

Tsuzuki smiled at it. "He'll be in a better mood tomorrow." The kitten sneezed in his face.

"Eh," Tsuzuki wiped at his face. "Gross, you'll have to learn manners!" He winced as he looked at his sleeve cuff. "Like, 'don't sneeze in other people's faces'." Tsuzuki wiped his sleeve on his pants, before standing. "So, where to now?"

The kitten mewled again. "I'm not sure where Byakko lives, but I think it's around here," Tsuzuki mused. "Well, I guess we could ask someone."

With the kitten perched on his shoulder, Tsuzuki strolled down the street, glancing around. The houses were rather nice, each supporting a little garden. Tsuzuki smiled wistfully as he passed one with tulips planted around the outside. Maybe he should look into getting his own little space in the gardens outside his apartment.

Then he passed a garden that made him stop and stare in wonder. The owner must have had over a dozen different roses alone planted in it. Vines twirled up the side of the house, and bloomed with white roses. Tsuzuki gazed wistfully at the sunflowers closest to him before moving off. 

"I really should look into being a gardener." He told the kitten. It licked his ear before nipping at the fleshy rim. 

They had gone no more than a block before Tsuzuki noticed someone coming towards them in the bright streetlight. He blinked, trying to place the figure. As it got nearer to him, he suddenly broke into a smile and waved, nearly dislodging the kitten.

"Hi, Muraki. What bring you here?" 

Tsuzuki watched as an expression of shock flashed over the doctor's face, to be immediately replaced with a softer expression.

"Good evening, Tsuzuki-san," Muraki murmured in a low tone, coming closer to him. "I was returning home from an evening walk. If I may ask the same question of you?"

"Oh," Tsuzuki pointed at the kitten on his shoulder. "I was hoping that a friend who lives near here could take care of her."

"Ah, is she a kitten?" Muraki reached out and gently stroked her head, his fingers accidentally brushing against Tsuzuki's cheek. "I once had one."

"Really?" Tsuzuki asked. 

Muraki nodded. "Yes. He was quite lovely for a Siamese. Just as lovely as this one." Muraki stepped even closer. "May I ask her name?"  
Tsuzuki, ignoring the hand that was accidentally touching the side of his cheek, shrugged. "It didn't feel right naming her." 

"Then may I?" Muraki asked, tracing one of the orange splotches on the kitten's face. Tsuzuki nodded encouragingly. "Asato."

"Huh?" Tsuzuki blinked surprised.

"Do you not like the name I have chosen?" Muraki asked softly, gazing intently at him. 

"Well, it's not that I don't like it," Tsuzuki began.

"Good." Muraki grasped the kitten gently, his fingers scraping across Tsuzuki's throat as he did so. "Asato," he nearly purred in the same voice as the kitten. "I thought that it was a nice name."

"Uh," Tsuzuki began again.

"Tsuzuki-san," Muraki smiled at him again, holding the kitten securely. "As I have had experience with taking care of felines, may I take care of her?"

"Uh, yeah, that sounds good." 

Muraki smiled knowingly. "Tsuzuki-san, I understand that it is hard to give up things that you have emotional attachments to." He leaned forward and brushed Tsuzuki's bangs out of his eyes. "And I do not wish to exclude you."

"You mean we could both be her parents?" Tsuzuki asked brightly. Muraki nodded.

"But of course. Shall we start together now? If you wish, you may see her accommodations." Muraki trailed a finger down Tsuzuki's arm to his wrist. "After all, you should visit her often."

"Well, I guess," Tsuzuki began.

"Good," Muraki grasped Tsuzuki's delicate wrist. "Shall we be off?"

"But not tonight," Tsuzuki gently shook his hand out of Muraki's grasp. "I have to go. Don't worry, I trust you with her."

Muraki let out a disappointed sigh. "Alright," he agreed. "Still, you must visit us soon."

Tsuzuki nodded, and patted the kitten gently. "Well, goodbye. Don't let her keep you up."

"It wouldn't have been her that would have kept me awake," Muraki replied smoothly. Tsuzuki blinked, not sure how he should have taken the comment. Muraki bowed slightly. "Until next time, Tsuzuki-san."

"Bye Muraki, Asato," His voice stuttered over the kitten's name as he hurried away.

***

"Tsuzuki-san." The gentle voice made Tsuzuki whirl, his keys sliding across the walkway to rest against Tatsumi's shoe.

"Eh, Tatsumi . . ." Tsuzuki, too afraid to go near the other man, felt along the frame of his door for the spare key. "Look, no more kitten. I won't be bothering you with this now."

Tatsumi stooped down to pick up the abandoned keys. "Tsuzuki-san, may I speak with you?" He held out the keys as an offering. Gingerly Tsuzuki reached out to grasp them.

"Okay, I guess," Tsuzuki scuffed his shoe noisily against the metallic walkway as he unlocked his door.

Once they were inside and Tatsumi was seated on the threadbare couch, he began. "Today, with the kitten, you seemed upset about the prospect of giving it to an animal shelter."

"Well, yeah," Tsuzuki nodded.

"Tsuzuki-san, I did not intend to seem unconcerned over the kitten's welfare." Tatsumi studied him for a moment before continuing. "The animal shelter is selective with the people they allow to take animals home. Though I do understand that you would hesitate before giving the kitten to someone you don't trust, how can you be certain that they are equipped both physically and mentally to support the kitten?"

"I-" Tsuzuki stopped himself before he could say anything else.

Tatsumi smoothly stood and looked down at Tsuzuki. "As your friend, please have greater faith in me in the future."

"I . . ." Tsuzuki stared at his hands brokenly. "I'm sorry."

Tatsumi winced as he heard Tsuzuki start to sniffle. He crouched down before the distraught man, smoothing Tsuzuki's hair out of his eyes. "Please do not worry. I am not angry with you." Tsuzuki nodded, his throat too tight to speak.

Tatsumi sighed gently, closing his eyes as he leaned forward. "No one is angry with you. Not Watari-san, nor Wakaba-san, nor I. Please do not feel sad."

"I know," Tsuzuki replied desolately. "It's just that I . . ." Tsuzuki shook his head violently, his hair brushing against Tatsumi's forehead.

"Say, Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi thought desperately to change the subject. "In a few days, my uncle is hosting a kimono party. He requested that I invite you to join us." Tatsumi leaned back to gently appraise Tsuzuki. "I promise, I won't allow him to get near you and try to seduce you again."

"But," Tsuzuki smiled blithely as he rubbed at his eyes. "I don't have a kimono."

"My uncle has several, and would be willing to loan one to you," Tatsumi insisted. "Several members of my family, as well as I, need to borrow them for such gatherings."

"Will it be okay?" Tsuzuki blinked hopefully. "I don't want to intrude on your family time."

"Please, your company is quite refreshing and enjoyable. Do not fear intruding on me." Tatsumi brushed Tsuzuki's bangs out of his eyes again before standing. "May I assume you are willing to accompany me?"

"Sure, I like being with you." Tsuzuki smiled brightly at Tatsumi. 

"I do believe my uncle will be pleased to hear this. Until next time, Tsuzuki-san, do sleep well."

"'Night, Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki called out as Tatsumi closed the door behind him.

Tatsumi strode purposely back to his apartment. When he entered, a wave of cool air hit him, and he allowed himself to relax. 

Maybe Tsuzuki would enjoy it.

-Akira


	8. A Tea Ceremony

In my one and only time at a tea ceremony, I managed to do just about everything wrong; so I don't really know what to do at one. So, if I got things wrong in this, I'm really sorry, and it's not the fault at the poor, now traumatized people who tried to teach me once. And if anyone else wants to learn how to participate in a tea ceremony, don't go by this chapter.

Other than the general idea, nothing Yami no Matsuei related is mine.

Life is

Part 8

A Tea Ceremony

"What?" Tsuzuki asked blearily, blinking his eyes at Touda. "What's going on?"

"You're awake," Touda commented darkly, a smug look of satisfaction flashing across his face.

Tsuzuki blinked at him, glancing about his office room. "Well, yes, I guess I am. Why?" He scratched the side of his face, surprised when his fingers came in contact with something wet.

"You haven't been for the past five minutes I've been talking to you," Touda replied darkly.

Tsuzuki blinked confusedly, shaking his head. "Well, I might have been awake, just not paying attention."

"And snoring and drooling." Touda's visor flashed in the dim light. "I suppose you won't be finishing these reports today," He waved his hand over the smudged papers.

Tsuzuki wiped his mouth with a sleeve, choking off a nervous giggle. "I guess not," he admitted. "I was actually hoping to get off soon."

Tsuzuki had the feeling that Touda was giving him a look of surprise behind the opaque visor. "May I ask why?" Touda asked surprisingly politely. "You normally stay much longer."

"I promised someone I'd go with them to a Kimono Party." 

"Do you have a kimono?" Touda asked in a mockingly innocent tone.

"Well," Tsuzuki scratched the back of his head nervously. "Not quite . . . but Tatsumi promised that he would loan me one."

Touda frowned slightly. "And so you are going to a place where you can put on a kimono and then do what?"

"Well, you don't have to put it that way . . ."

"But nonetheless, I am correct in the assumption that you have no idea what to do?" Touda gave him an expression that might have been innocent had his mouth not been twitching.

"We'll probably be doing things," Tsuzuki replied defensively. "Like eating."

"Oh," Touda said tonelessly. Tsuzuki was sure that behind that shiny visor, Touda was raising an eyebrow. "How entertaining."

Tsuzuki ducked his head, hurrying out from his chair. "Well, anyways, I must be going now."

Touda leaned back, watching as Tsuzuki struggled with his coat. "Of course, you mustn't keep the food, or _anyone else waiting."_

Tsuzuki grinned. "I knew you would see it my way!" Still struggling with his coat, the young man stumbled into the hallway. "Well, see you later then!"

"Idiot." Touda growled, gathering up the forgotten paperwork.

***

Closing his eyes, Tatsumi breathed in slowly, and tilted his head towards the ceiling. "Please let this evening pass smoothly."

He was already regretting the fact he had invited Tsuzuki. He would rather spend the evening alone in his apartment then protecting Tsuzuki's virtue from his uncle. 

Still, the thought of seeing Tsuzuki again wasn't exactly unpleasant. If he managed to get through the evening with no problems, perhaps he could arrange to have dinner with the younger man later in the week.

Just as he started planning what the meal would entail, someone pounding at the door shook Tatsumi out of his thoughts.

He glanced at the clock, and his suspicions were confirmed when he found Tsuzuki standing just outside his door.

"Sorry I'm late," Tsuzuki apologized mournfully. Tatsumi blinked, before remembering that he had intentionally told Tsuzuki to arrive an hour early. As expected, Tsuzuki had arrived late enough for them to leave.

"That is quite alright," Tatsumi soothed him gently. "If we hurry, we still have enough time to arrive without being late."

Tsuzuki sighed in relief. "Good." He fingered his coat apprehensively. "Say, Tatsumi, what exactly do we do at a kimono party?"

Tatsumi shrugged into his coat, locking his door. "We participate in a tea ceremony with my eldest and youngest uncles." 

Tsuzuki blinked, hoping his family would be a safe subject today. "Err, how many uncles do you have?"

"Two." Tatsumi's voice was light as he descended the stairwell. "Normally my father would be there as well; however, he has other obligations tonight."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Tsuzuki said, not quite sure what to say.

"It is alright," Tatsumi replied as he strode down the sidewalk. "No one can control their obligations to work." 

"Um, I guess not," Tsuzuki admitted. "But doesn't family come first?"

Tatsumi paused and gave him a penetrating look. "I suppose that would depend on your personal view of priorities." Tatsumi studied Tsuzuki intently before continuing. "However you might feel that with your job, you can assist those you care about."

"I guess that kind of makes sense," Tsuzuki ventured from behind Tatsumi's shoulder.

"I am pleased you see it that way," Tatsumi replied distractedly, pausing long enough for Tsuzuki to walk beside him.

"Well," Tsuzuki glanced at the sidewalk directly in front of his feet as if it could help him find a safer topic. "So, we're going to a kimono party that's actually a tea ceremony?"

Tatsumi inclined his head. "Yes, we are."

"Um," Tsuzuki coughed nervously. "So, what do you do at a tea ceremony?" 

Tatsumi stopped walking, and gazed at Tsuzuki with wide, surprised eyes. "Am I to understand you have never participated in a tea ceremony?" he accused. Tsuzuki nodded his head. "And that you have no idea what to do?" Tsuzuki shook his head again, his dark hair flopping into his face.

Tatsumi pressed a hand to his forehead and slowly counted to ten. "This is not good."

Tsuzuki blinked confusedly. "Why not?"

"It is too late to excuse ourselves," Tatsumi mused into the palm of his hand. "But perhaps my uncle will not be very formal. Yes, that would be a safe assumption."

"Tatsumi, what are you talking about?"

"Yes, and during this I can instruct you, and if we do not sit near my other uncle, yes, this will still be alright."

"Um, Tatsumi?"

"Very well, it will be done. At a later date, I will give you better instructions."

"Tatsumi?"

Tatsumi brushed his hair out of his eyes and frowned in Tsuzuki's general direction. "Tsuzuki-san, please forgive me for being blunt, but you will need my assistance throughout the tea ceremony."

Tsuzuki blinked and nodded. "Alright, what should I do?"

"You must follow my lead. I will instruct you throughout the ceremony, and as it is mostly with my family, it will be slightly informal, and I will be able to do this. Please listen to me and do as I say."

Tsuzuki shrugged and smiled. "Sure thing! So, what do I do first?"

***

"Ah, Tsuzuki, how wonderful it is to see that you made it!" Hakushaku exclaimed, raising a suggestive eyebrow at Tsuzuki.

"We are quite pleased to be here as well," Tatsumi growled lowly, frowning at the man before them.

Hakushaku glanced briefly at Tatsumi in acknowledgement before turning back to Tsuzuki. "There is only one more guest to arrive, and then we can begin!" He motioned for Tatsumi and Tsuzuki to follow him.

"Say, Tsuzuki," Hakushaku purred, "Do you have anything direly important after this?" 

"Well, no," Tsuzuki began hesitantly, keeping close to Tatsumi's side.

"Good," Hakushaku grinned conspiratorially at him. "After we're done, perhaps you and I can find another form of entertainment." 

Tsuzuki was saved from responding when a loud bell rang. Tatsumi watched darkly as the older man hurried off. "Tsuzuki-san, if you wish to leave at any time, I would not feel insulted." Tatsumi offered him. "In fact, if you do depart early, I will join you."

"Ah, no, it's okay," Tsuzuki smiled disarmingly. "I can endure." Tatsumi inclined his head as his uncle and the last guest arrived.

"Well, there's been a slight change of plans," Hakushaku began.

"Tsuzuki-san," a low baritone rumbled. "What an unexpected surprise. But rest assured, it is a pleasant one."

Tsuzuki blinked confusedly. "Muraki? I didn't know you'd be here as well."

"Nor did I," Tatsumi frowned at him. "If I may ask, why are you here?"

"Is enjoying the company of my family not reason enough?" Muraki smiled at Tatsumi mockingly. "Truthfully, my father wished to work today, and I did not wish to have our uncle cancel the tea ceremony because of his absence." 

Tsuzuki frowned. "Did everyone except me know that there was going to be a tea ceremony?"

The three other men stared at him with an intensity that Tsuzuki found unnerving. Tatsumi coughed slightly, carefully glancing away. "I do apologize-"

"Well," Tatsumi and Muraki's uncle interrupted loudly. "We might as well begin. Watson!" he called out. "Please don't forget to bring the special _kimono for Tsuzuki as well."_

"Special kimono?" Tsuzuki whispered to Tatsumi, who shrugged, equally perplexed. 

***

"And this is the room that you will be changing in." Hakushaku winked at Tsuzuki.

"Um, I don't mean to be picky, but what's the black box-thing in the corner?" Tsuzuki pointed for emphasis.

"Oh, don't worry," Hakushaku waved his hands disarmingly. "It's just a camera."

 "Just a camera?" Tatsumi growled. "Pray tell, why exactly is there a camera in Tsuzuki's dressing room?"

"Oh, I don't know." Hakushaku smiled sweetly at Tsuzuki, who was too busy staring openmouthed into his dressing room to notice Muraki's hand sliding over a shoulder. 

"Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi frowned at Muraki, who smiled charmingly back. "Perhaps you should not change in this room."

"I agree." Muraki's smile was anything but innocent. "Perhaps his privacy would not be violated if he shared a room with one of us."

Tsuzuki wrinkled his brow, turning from the room to face Muraki. "But how would that not violate my privacy?"

"Perhaps we could take turns changing," Tatsumi growled stiffly, his gaze shifting from Hakushaku to Muraki and back. 

"Good idea!" Tsuzuki cheered joyfully. "Tatsumi's so smart!"

Tatsumi blushed slightly. "Well, thank you-"

Muraki sighed mournfully. "I suppose there is always later," he murmured, ignoring Tsuzuki's look of confusion.

***

Tsuzuki held up the kimono and blinked at it. "Um, does it have to be three layers?" he asked Hakushaku pitifully.

Hakushaku only smiled back. "Do you need help?" He smiled innocently.

"I am certain that Tsuzuki-san can dress himself without any assistance." Tatsumi pointed out as he emerged from the room. 

"Well, actually--"

Without preamble, Tatsumi pushed Tsuzuki into the vacated room and closed the door. "Tsuzuki-san is an adult and can handle such matters by himself." 

"What matters?" Muraki asked before raising an eyebrow at Tatsumi's kimono. "What interesting fabric. It certainly matches your eyes."

Tatsumi bared his teeth in a look that could be taken as a rather fierce smile. "I am glad to see that you agree with our uncle's taste in colors."

Muraki's mouth twisted in a sardonic smile. 

"Um, can I possibly get some help here?" Tsuzuki called out desolately from the room. 

Tatsumi turned sharply, looking at the door as if he could see through it. "What is the problem, Tsuzuki-san?"

"I kind of never had to put on a kimono before." Tsuzuki admitted pitifully. "So could someone maybe help me?"

"I will be glad to," Muraki called out, striding towards the door.

Tatsumi moved to block the way. "Muraki-san, please forgive me for saying so, but that would be very improper."

"Help?"

"I'll go!" Hakushaku offered lightly, "After all, it is my kimono."

"I do apologize, but that would not be advisable to your health," Tatsumi informed him darkly.

"Please?"

Tatsumi turned to answer when a high pitched beeping noise echoed throughout the mansion. Quickly, the blue-eyed man checked his pager while sliding to the right so Hakushaku could hurry past him.

"You brought _that here?" Muraki asked darkly, eyeing the dark box on Tatsumi's belt._

"Your observations are correct," Tatsumi replied distractedly, deducing that it wasn't his pager that was ringing.

"Even I chose to come here with out any outside distractions." Muraki informed him darkly, watching Tatsumi intently.

Tatsumi looked up and raised an eyebrow. "If you will forgive me for criticizing your lifestyle," he began slowly. "Perhaps with your skills as a doctor, you should have brought your pager."

"Um, so no help for me?"

"My hospital is well staffed." Muraki's voice almost held a hint of pride. "I find that if a person were to devote his life to his job, those close to him would not be pleased." Ever so casually, he tilted his head towards the closed door.

"Ah! Watson! You'll help me, wont you?"

Tatsumi pursed his lips. "I suppose people would be happier if you were penniless?" Tatsumi coldly adjusted his glasses. "Which do you find more important, your obligations to others, or personal entertainment?"

"Oh, so your arm goes in that hole!"

Muraki carefully slid his wire-rimmed glasses off his nose and reached into his pocket to bring out a small square cloth. "Tatsumi-san, if you wish to close off all social contacts not related to your job, please do so. That will only leave the way clearer for me."

"I understand now!"

"What are you saying?" Tatsumi demanded. His question was never answered as Muraki suddenly had more pressing matters to think about.

"Okay!" Tatsumi blinked in surprise as Tsuzuki's voice called out from behind him. "Thank you, Watson!" he beamed at the tiny butler. Watson bowed and scampered away. 

Smiling at the retreating diminutive figure, Tsuzuki turned to face Tatsumi, and taking in the full clothing, froze. "What nice . . . blue . . . bunnies."

Tatsumi sighed disgustedly. "I am pleased they have your approval."

Tsuzuki tilted his head slightly. "You know, if they were pink, they'd be like your apron."

"Yes, I am aware of that," Tatsumi informed him matter-of-factly. 

"But they are kind of cute." Tsuzuki smiled apologetically.

"_Thank you, Tsuzuki-san, perhaps we can start with the tea ceremony __now," Tatsumi ground out through his teeth._

"What is it that rabbits represent again?" Tsuzuki asked thoughtfully.

"Fertility," Muraki supplied, moving out from behind Tatsumi. "Things such as that do make you wonder about people's motivations, does it not?"

"Um, I guess so," Tsuzuki slowly admitted.

"Good." It was not Hakushaku's voice that Tsuzuki jumped at. It was the hand straying under the collar of his borrowed kimono. "The cakes are done, so we can begin the tea ceremony now!" As Hakushaku passed the startled man, he spared one last glance down the front of Tsuzuki's kimono.

***

"Tatsumi?" Tsuzuki whispered softly to the older man, not taking his eyes from the doorway. 

"Yes?" Tatsumi replied, hoping it wouldn't have anything to do with rabbits. 

"Um, is the doorway supposed to be that low?" Tsuzuki's eyes flickered towards him before focusing on the three-foot high entrance.

"Yes," Tatsumi replied distantly. "As you crawl through the doorway, you cast away your ego and become equal to the other participants despite your outside status." 

"Okay." Tsuzuki smiled at Tatsumi confidently, flexing his toes in his fresh socks. "Sounds easy enough." Bending down, the young man crawled through the low doorway.

Once he entered he saw where Muraki had preceded him to. The light the straw-gold tatami reflected cast the illusion that the pale doctor had golden highlights to his skin and hair. Seeing Tsuzuki's eyes on him, the doctor inclined his head and shifted slightly to the side, a lone hand lingering on a space next to him. 

Tsuzuki quickly took the hint.

Tatsumi, seeing immediately where Tsuzuki had gone, closed his eyes briefly, promised to count to ten at a later date, and crawled to the cramped side of the purple-eyed man. This immediately caused a complication because the alcove was simply too small to hold three full grown men comfortably.

Muraki, with Tsuzuki pressed up against him and nearly in his lap, was quite happy. Tatsumi, also with Tsuzuki pressed up against him and nearly in his lap, was alternating between a soft pleasant feeling, and one of horrification. Tsuzuki, cramped and hungry, was not at all happy.

Tsuzuki started when Watson appeared in front of him, bowing as he placed a small, round item on a cloth napkin near the part of Tsuzuki's knee that touched the ground.

Tsuzuki looked up, and blinked worriedly as he saw Hakushaku's eyes on him. "Please," Hakushaku gestured in their general direction. "Relax."

Tatsumi leaned forward so his shoulder was pressed against Tsuzuki's. "Eat it," he whispered into the young man's ear. Obediently Tsuzuki's fingers closed around the small round object in front of his knee. 

Muraki's cool fingers halted the progress of Tsuzuki's wrist. "Here is a cake pick," he whispered, delicately placing in Tsuzuki's palm a thin, toothpick like object.

"Thank you, doctor," Tatsumi's low voice hissed. "However, I do not need assistance instructing Tsuzuki-san."

Muraki smiled coolly back before bowing his head in acknowledgement. "As you will, Tatsumi-san,"

Tatsumi frowned suspiciously at the doctor before turning away. "Please eat it, Tsuzuki-san."

Tsuzuki, who was happily discovering how easily the toothpick cut through the soft cake, was only too happy to obey. Raising a generous sliver of the cake to his lips, Tsuzuki closed his eyes as his mouth closed around the soft morsel.

He chewed slowly, letting the flavor travel to his brain. Suddenly, the next thing he knew, it was almost impossible not to spit it back out.

"Is there a problem?" Muraki whispered softly into the man's ear.

Gagging, Tsuzuki knew that the cake was leaving his mouth in one of two ways. Squeezing his closed eyes tight, he swallowed quickly, coughing slightly as the sandy texture took its time sliding down his throat. 

"What _is this?" he demanded._

"Bean cake," Tatsumi whispered from his other side. "It was specially made for this."

It was on the top of Tsuzuki's mind to ask 'when' but he restrained himself using the will he had found only a few moments ago.

"Please finish it." Muraki's voice reverberated from just beyond Tsuzuki's other ear.

"Uh . . ."

"Do you need assistance?" Muraki, the epitome of innocence, asked.

"No . . ."

"Tsuzuki needs help? I'll do it!" Hakushaku volunteered cheerfully.

"Tsuzuki-san was invited by me, therefore it is my duty to assist him." Tatsumi reminded both of them.

"I'm fine!" Tsuzuki cried out, shoving the rest of the bean cake in his mouth. The three men watched intently as Tsuzuki's face contorted into a grimace as he chewed. "See?" 

Hakushaku sighed disappointedly and shook his head, and bowed over a small pot that Tsuzuki hadn't noticed before.

"Please sit straight," Tatsumi's voice whispered into Tsuzuki's ear. Closing his eyes briefly, the young man sighed before complying. "I understand this is uncomfortable for beginners, but please endure for a little longer. There is one last part until we may excuse ourselves."

Tsuzuki nodded slightly, frowning suspiciously at the back of Hakushaku. Could this last part of the Tea Ceremony actually have anything to do with tea?

His answer was soon answered as Watson hurried over, placing before each of them a small bowl. 

Tsuzuki smiled in thanks to the petite man and raised the bowl to his lips.

"No!" Tatsumi hissed as Muraki and he caught Tsuzuki's wrist. The bowl Tsuzuki held was halted a breath away from the purple-eyed man's lips.

"What did I do?" Tsuzuki wailed plaintively.

"Here," Muraki smiled gently, bracing a hand on Tsuzuki's thigh as he reached across Tsuzuki to adjust the confused man's hands. 

"Please hold the bowl in your left hand and turn it three times to the left." Tatsumi commanded, watching darkly as Muraki's fingers trailed lovingly across Tsuzuki's wrist.

Tsuzuki blinked confusedly as he obeyed. "Uh, okay."

Once again with three people (no Watson) watching him intently, Tsuzuki took three breaths for good luck and swallowed the dark green liquid quickly. When he opened his eyes, there was a collective sigh of relief.

However, that sigh was given an instant too early as he bent forward and gagged the green liquid up on the tatami mat in front of him.

When he looked up, Tsuzuki saw that Muraki had closed his eyes and was breathing deeply. Turning to the side he saw that Tatsumi's eyes were open wide and the older man's face had turned an ashen pale color.

"Oops." Tsuzuki giggled nervously.

***

"I suppose that was not as bad as it could have been," Tsuzuki commented hopefully at an unresponsive Tatsumi. This time, Tatsumi responded by giving him a look of disbelief. 

"Perhaps," Tatsumi started weakly after gaping at the other man in shock. "At a later date I will be able to give you further instructions."

"What does your uncle put in his bean cakes anyways?" Tsuzuki asked curiously, gagging reflexively.

"It is Watson who makes them," Tatsumi corrected absently. "From my experience, most bean cakes taste similar to his."

Tsuzuki nodded thoughtfully, glancing about him curiously. Then he stopped and looked again. "Oh, look!" And before Tatsumi had a chance to grab his sleeve, Tsuzuki hurried off the sidewalk.

"Where might you be going?" Tatsumi demanded somewhat curiously. 

Tsuzuki pointed towards a building where a bright light emanated. "McDonalds."

Tatsumi blinked. "Excuse me? Surely you do not mean to . . . _eat here?!" A scandalized expression flashed across his face. "After a tea ceremony?"_

"Chocolate shakes are good for the soul." Tsuzuki called back, pushing through large glass doors. "Are you coming?"

Giving the outside of the building a last horrified look, Tatsumi reluctantly allowed his feet to lead him into the building.

The End


	9. A Good Day

I'm really sorry for the wait . . . please don't hate me. (happy neurotic smile)  
  
Life is  
  
Part 9  
  
A Good Day  
  
His breath frosted the air before Tatsumi's face. Blinking sleepily at the white mist, he hurried forward with a new determination. The sooner he returned home, the sooner he could get to bed, and hence sleep. And right now, sleep was very important to him.  
  
He sidestepped a drunk, who was half-lying on the sidewalk. Tatsumi wrinkled his nose in distaste, trying to walk a little faster. The sound of laughter emitting from his right assaulted his ears, much like the smoke that permeated the air attacked his nose.  
  
When he came across a doorway, a dark figure stumbled blindly forward, away from the golden light of the bar. Normally Tatsumi wouldn't have even noticed it. In fact, he didn't until the figure tripped and fell on top of him.  
  
"Sorry," the figure mumbled drunkenly in a familiar voice. A very familiar voice that almost sounded like . . .  
  
"Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi gasped in shock. "What on earth are you doing here?"  
  
Tsuzuki's liquid eyes focused on Tatsumi's face. "Oh . . . Tatsumi . . ." he slurred uncertainly. "Hey . . . I was just drinking."  
  
Tatsumi closed his eyes and prayed for patience. "I can see that," he assured Tsuzuki. "Why were you out drinking?"  
  
Tsuzuki closed his eyes and smiled at Tatsumi. "Today's a good day to drink," he replied matter-of-factly.  
  
"Tsuzuki-san, you are not answering my question." Tatsumi's voice was unusually tense. He grasped Tsuzuki's shoulders, fingers clutching somewhat painfully on the dark fabric of Tsuzuki's coat.  
  
"It's an anniversary," Tsuzuki explained, wiggling out of Tatsumi's grasp. "An important anniversary."  
  
Tatsumi sighed tersely. "Very well, I had hoped that you would trust me enough to speak about this, but if you feel uncomfortable . . ." Tatsumi let his words trail off.  
  
Tsuzuki shook his head with a sudden ferocity. "No, no, it's not that . . . you know, the world isn't as steady as it was a few moments ago."  
  
"It might have something to do with you being drunk," Tatsumi pointed out as Tsuzuki grasped the blue-eyed man's coat for support.  
  
Tsuzuki leaned forward, resting his head against Tatsumi's chest. "Maybe," he mumbled into the older man's tie. "I don't do this often . . ."  
  
"Please." Tatsumi guided his companion away from the bar. "I knew a man once. He was very kind to his wife and child when he was sober. When he was sober, he would promise not to drink again." Tatsumi caught Tsuzuki as he nearly fell off the sidewalk. "Besides the fact that the cost of the alcohol cut into their limited savings, the man would become violent when drunk."  
  
"This story's depressing," Tsuzuki complained, resting his head against Tatsumi's shoulder. "Besides, I don't have a wife or child, and no one gets hurt when I'm drunk." Tsuzuki giggled pointlessly. "It's one of the good things about living alone."  
  
"Then, one day," Tatsumi continued as he half-dragged Tsuzuki along. "The man woke up after a night of heavy drinking. He was so ashamed at what he saw, he left."  
  
"What do you mean?" Tsuzuki asked in an interested but tired voice. "Where did he go?"  
  
Tatsumi shrugged noncommittally. "Away. Later, his wife got remarried and lived for a long time without ever seeing the man again."  
  
By then they were at the apartment complex. Because Tsuzuki was in no state to move up the stairs, Tatsumi ended up having to help him up them.  
  
"What ended up happening?" Tsuzuki mumbled softly. "To the man?"  
  
Tatsumi's sigh was lost in the night. "Perhaps he died of an ulcer. It makes no difference to me."  
  
"Tatsumi." For some reason Tsuzuki's eyelids were too heavy to keep open. Then again, it didn't seem to matter. "You're a horrible story teller."  
  
***  
  
Tsuzuki delicately cradled his head, ignoring the mug of coffee sitting on the table in front of him. From his right, Watari tried to hide a yawn while simultaneously rubbing his eyes.  
  
The third member of their breakfast group was shaking her head over a pair of tickets. "I just can't believe him sometimes," Wakaba confided to the two men. "First he wants to go, and now he just copped out on me!" She sighed disappointedly, shaking her head. "You two are men, aren't you?"  
  
"Not this morning," Watari yawned into his juice. "Ask again in a couple of hours." He leaned back into his chair, resting his head in the palm of his hand.  
  
Tsuzuki started to shake his head, but when pain lanced through his brain, he decided it was not a good idea. "Sorry," he murmured softly in the young woman's general direction. "I was out late last night."  
  
Wakaba looked from Watari to Tsuzuki and back. "Maybe you two aren't the men to ask about men," she noted wisely. "Do you know if Tatsumi's home?"  
  
Tsuzuki shook his head, wincing slightly at the sensation racking through his head. "I think he works weekends too."  
  
Watari yawned, clearly fighting sleep. "So . . . what did Terazuma do . . . this time?"  
  
Wakaba waved two tickets. "He said that he would be my partner in a competition," she explained. "We practiced for a month for it. Then, two days ago, he 'changed his mind', so now I can't compete. I really wanted to," Wakaba confided mournfully.  
  
"Ah, I see. Can't you get another partner?" Tsuzuki suggested helpfully.  
  
Wakaba shook her head. "I can't find someone skilled enough for the competition, and it's too late to train anyone."  
  
"I'm sure it's not Terazuma's fault," Watari consoled her. "I'm sure something very important came up."  
  
"I know." Wakaba nodded sadly. "It's just that I like dancing-"  
  
"It's a dancing contest?" Tsuzuki perked up and regretted it immediately after.  
  
"Yes." Wakaba nodded. "It only happens once a year, and I've been practicing for it for a long time!"  
  
"Oh." Tsuzuki, finding that his head didn't protest the action, smiled at her. "Well, if you can't get Terazuma to be your partner, I'll go with you."  
  
Wakaba frowned slightly. "Well, it's really big, and I'm not sure if you're up to it-"  
  
Tsuzuki blinked his large eyes at her. "I promise I'll back out if Terazuma wants to be your partner."  
  
"Well," Wakaba began, glancing at Watari for help. He blinked sleepily back at her in complete innocence. "I guess we can try to practice a little bit- "  
  
"Yay," Tsuzuki cheered. "When can we start? In a few minutes?"  
  
"Well, I guess that would be alright . . ."  
  
"Thank you!" Tsuzuki flashed his teeth in an easy grin. "You won't regret this at all!"  
  
"Yes," Wakaba agreed weakly. "I certainly hope not."  
  
***  
  
Tsuzuki lifted his hand over Wakaba's head, spinning her in a tight circle. She abruptly snapped out of the spin, her foot hitting the floor in time with the music. Tsuzuki clasped her free hand, extending his arms in their final pose.  
  
"Well," Wakaba gasped pleasantly. "You weren't joking when you said you could dance."  
  
"This doesn't feel right," Tsuzuki complained while shaking his head. "We're working okay together, but there's no connection between us."  
  
"Oh?" Wakaba asked, fanning herself. "What do you mean? I thought we were doing just fine."  
  
"We are doing okay," Tsuzuki shrugged, searching for the right words. "But we don't have the thing that makes us great."  
  
"Would you like some water?" Wakaba called out as she pulled herself to her feet. "What thing?"  
  
"Um, no thanks." Tsuzuki shifted uncomfortably. "We're friends, but there isn't much in the way of love between us."  
  
"Well," Wakaba frowned lightly as she returned with her water. "That's alright!" She smiled happily at him. "We're in this just for fun, between friends anyways. Just think of this as practice."  
  
Tsuzuki sighed softly. "Okay, sure."  
  
Wakaba settled down in front of him, gathering her skirt around her. "How long have you been dancing?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know; since I was really little." Tsuzuki smiled happily. "I learned from my sister. How about you?"  
  
"My parents sent me to dancing school after I turned fourteen." Wakaba sipped her water idly until a thought occurred to her. "Hey, I didn't know you had a sister."  
  
"Oh." Tsuzuki waved his hand dismissively. "That's because . . . well . . . it's not really important."  
  
He was saved from further discussion when the door to Wakaba's apartment burst open, and Terazuma stomped in. "I'm home- what in hell is he doing there?"  
  
"Welcome back!" Wakaba called out as Tsuzuki hurriedly backed away from the irate man. "I was just thinking about running away with him," she confided. "But I need help moving my suitcases into his apartment."  
  
Terazuma glared at her. "Very funny." He turned back to Tsuzuki. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Ah." Tsuzuki put on his best smile. "I'm her new dance partner."  
  
"Dance partner?" Terazuma sneered. "Don't lie to me! You were here to seduce her." He jabbed his finger in Tsuzuki's chest for further emphasis.  
  
"You know, I was joking when I said I was going to move in with him," Wakaba tried to sooth the detective. "Terazuma, don't be jealous."  
  
"I'm not here to seduce her!" Tsuzuki cried out as Terazuma grasped the collar of his shirt.  
  
"Oh? So she's not good enough for you?" Terazuma demanded. "What's wrong with her?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong!" Tsuzuki yelled back. "First you're angry with me trying to seduce her, but now you're angry with me not trying to do anything?"  
  
Terazuma nodded. "Yeah, that about sums it up."  
  
Tsuzuki moaned, hanging his head. "You're impossible."  
  
"Hey, door's open, so you don't mind if I just let myself in . . . hey, what's going on?" Watari asked from the entrance.  
  
"Hajime-chan's jealous because Tsuzuki's not after me." Wakaba explained.  
  
Watari rolled his eyes. "Terazuma, most men are happy to know that their neighbors aren't after their girlfriends." He shook his head. "Why don't you let go of Tsuzuki?"  
  
"Yes, why don't you?" Tsuzuki repeated.  
  
Terazuma snorted, letting go of the young man's shirt. "Wimp," he muttered under his breath, heading towards the back of the apartment.  
  
"I'm really sorry," Wakaba apologized as she handed Tsuzuki his coat. "Terazuma's not normally like this. I think it's just you."  
  
Tsuzuki rubbed at his throat. "Lucky me, huh?" Watari wrapped an arm around his shoulders and nodded. "So," he began, turning to Wakaba. "When's the competition anyways."  
  
"Tomorrow," Wakaba reported happily.  
  
Tsuzuki blanched. "What do you mean by that? We haven't even practiced for a full twenty four hours!"  
  
"Don't worry." Wakaba patted his shoulder. "We'll both do the best we can. It'll be fun!"  
  
"But our compatibility, our-"  
  
"Don't be nervous!" Wakaba consoled him. "You'll do just fine." She winked conspiratorially at Watari. "Hey, I have an extra ticket, if you want to invite someone."  
  
Tsuzuki turned to Watari, who waved his own ticket. "We're cousins," he explained. "I'm automatically invited."  
  
"I wonder who I could invite," Tsuzuki mused silently.  
  
"Maybe you could invite Tatsumi?" Watari suggested. "Maybe he's not work- ouch!" he suddenly cried out. "Who just stomped on my foot?"  
  
Wakaba, who was smiling a bit too pleasantly for her own good, carefully pulled her foot back under her skirt. "I'm sure Tsuzuki-chan could have figured that out on his own," she informed Watari through her teeth.  
  
Watari grumbled something under his breath about violent women.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll see if Tatsumi's home then." Tsuzuki smiled hesitantly. "I hope he'll be able to come."  
  
***  
  
"I doubt that will be possible." Tatsumi closed his eyes briefly. "I have a board meeting that I cannot interrupt for anything."  
  
"Oh, okay." Tsuzuki shrugged and smiled bravely.  
  
"I do apologize, and thank you for considering me in your plans," Tatsumi continued formally. "Perhaps if you were to give me more than a day's notice, then the next time I will be able to attend you."  
  
"When does your meeting end?" Tsuzuki asked hopefully.  
  
Tatsumi could only shake his head. "I cannot predict such things. If events go smoothly, then perhaps it will end shortly. If not, perhaps it will end after the day has ended."  
  
"Well," Tsuzuki slid the ticket over to Tatsumi. "Thanks for being honest. If it ends early, you can come late." As Tatsumi opened his mouth, Tsuzuki continued. "I don't have anyone else I would like to invite anyways."  
  
"As you will have it," Tatsumi shrugged. "I cannot promise you anything."  
  
Tsuzuki smiled and waved. "Bye, Tatsumi."  
  
***  
  
The audience erupted in a roar of cheers as the pair on the stage bowed deeply. They bowed once more before hurrying off the stage, past the remaining contestants. Including the breaks, the competition had lasted for an hour, and the final contestants were almost ready to go.  
  
There was still no sign of Tatsumi.  
  
"Don't be nervous," Wakaba warned again. "Its tough going last, but still, we can't mess up anything."  
  
Tsuzuki nodded, silently scanning the audience. "I know," he whispered back. "Hey, I'm going to go get something to drink."  
  
"Water," Wakaba quietly admonished.  
  
Tsuzuki smiled and nodded. "Sure; I'll be happy to get you some." He turned and disappeared before Wakaba could stop him.  
  
Tsuzuki hurried off the stairs and threaded his way through the seats to the back where the concession stand awaited him.  
  
He was not five feet away from it when the violet-eyed man ran into something that refused to give way. Stumbling back while shaking his head, Tsuzuki looked up to apologize and froze, the words dying on his lips.  
  
Unperturbed, Terazuma stared back. "Tsuzuki," he growled lowly. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here."  
  
Tsuzuki blinked. "Really?"  
  
Terazuma shook his head. "No. But since you're here, why don't you drop out of the competition?"  
  
Tsuzuki shook his head. "If you don't want me to dance with Wakaba, you should have remained her partner.  
  
Terazuma sighed in annoyance. "Well, that's just the problem. Other than that month that we were practicing, I haven't had any dance lessons at all."  
  
"Well, that really is a problem." Tsuzuki frowned, shrugging. "You and Wakaba seem pretty close, if you had lessons, then maybe you would be her perfect partner."  
  
Terazuma hesitated, frowning suspiciously at Tsuzuki.  
  
Tsuzuki abruptly shrugged. "Well, I don't see a way out of this for you." He gave the detective a small wave. "I'll tell Wakaba you said 'hi'."  
  
Terazuma grasped the thin material of Tsuzuki's shirt in his hand. "Wait. If you step out, then I can be with Wakaba."  
  
"Um," Tsuzuki flinched at the toothy grin that was inches away from his face. "I guess that makes sense."  
  
Terazuma nodded encouragingly. "Well then, we don't want her to be suspicious, do we?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Tsuzuki asked in a panicked voice.  
  
"Women are not like normal people," Terazuma lectured. "Since she asked you to be her dance partner, she doesn't want to dump you."  
  
"So . . . maybe I could pretend that I can't dance?" Tsuzuki offered hesitantly. "Does that sound good?"  
  
"Oh, we can do more than just pretend," Terazuma replied in a dangerously low voice.  
  
***  
  
"Really, I don't know where Tsuzuki-chan is." Wakaba shook her head. "I do hope he hurries up; we're almost ready to go." Shoving that thought aside, she smiled at her new companion. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you were able to make it."  
  
Tatsumi inclined his head graciously. "I, too, am quite ecstatic for that." he agreed softly. "I suppose I was quite lucky in this instance."  
  
Wakaba beamed at him. "Great!" Her smile faded for a moment. "I'm sure he'll be here any moment now."  
  
"Yes, well, if you will excuse me," Tatsumi said in a dismissive tone. "I will . . . oh."  
  
"Huh?" Wakaba turned to peer at whatever caught Tatsumi's attention. "What is . . . oh no!"  
  
Terazuma waved at them with his free hand. "Tsuzuki hurt himself," he called out cheerfully. "Oh well, looks like he can't dance after all."  
  
With only one of Terazuma's arms supporting him, Tsuzuki winced as his foot brushed against the floor.  
  
"What has happened here?" Tatsumi hurried over to relieve Terazuma with his burden. "Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"Terazuma broke my-" Tsuzuki bit back a yelp when Terazuma's foot connected with his. "I choked on a pretzel and fell," he gasped instead.  
  
"And broke his ankle," Terazuma concluded to Wakaba impatiently. "Well, since he can't dance and all, I'll dance with you."  
  
"But Tsuzuki needs medical attention, don't you?" Wakaba peered at the swelling appendage.  
  
"No!" Terazuma shouted, pulling her away. "He doesn't."  
  
"But, since we're partners . . ."  
  
"Wakaba-" Behind Wakaba's back, Terazuma made a breaking motion.  
  
"It's okay if you and Terazuma dance," Tsuzuki said quickly, his face going white.  
  
Tatsumi impatiently pressed a hand to his forehead. "You seem warm too," he concluded. "But I do not believe that your foot is broken." He bent down to gently run his fingers over the swelling appendage. "Perhaps you simply sprained your ankle."  
  
"But it really feels like it's broken," Tsuzuki complained. "It hurts a lot!"  
  
"Here," Terazuma ushered the lone female ahead of him. "We'll just be off for the competition; it's nearly our turn."  
  
"Take care of Tsuzuki!" Wakaba called as she was rudely pushed forward. "Hajime-chan, slow down!"  
  
Tatsumi frowned at the retreating forms before turning back to Tsuzuki. "Do you think you can move to a bench?"  
  
Putting on his bravest face, Tsuzuki nodded. "I think so . . ."  
  
"Good," Tatsumi moved so he could partially wrap his arms around Tsuzuki. "Come, there is a space a few meters over there."  
  
As they settled down on the hard wooden bench, Tsuzuki glanced out at Terazuma and Wakaba. "Looks like it's about to begin."  
  
Tatsumi made a non-committal sound of agreement, pulling his companion's ankle to his lap. "Wakaba is a skilled dancer," he murmured distractedly.  
  
"Ouch!" Tsuzuki winced as Tatsumi began to wrap a handkerchief around his ankle. "Yeah, I noticed." He paused.  
  
"You should not put pressure on this for several days," Tatsumi lectured. "Or at least wait until the swelling has mostly stopped."  
  
Tsuzuki blinked at Tatsumi confusedly. "Hey, don't' you only bandage it if it's bleeding?"  
  
Tatsumi smiled wirily. "I simply wish to be certain of your recovery," he chided. "So you do not have to do much work, I shall bring you dinner for the next few days.  
  
"Oh," Tsuzuki shrugged. "Thanks." He smiled at Tatsumi.  
  
"Hey," Tsuzuki turned back to Wakaba and Terazuma and winced. "Wow, Terazuma wasn't joking when he said he wasn't a good dancer . . ." He flinched in sympathy as Terazuma's foot slammed down on Wakaba's. "Ouch."  
  
Tatsumi gave the pair an unconcerned look. "Wakaba does seem a bit more happy than usual," he murmured. "But I fear they will have issues when they are finished."  
  
"Ah," Tsuzuki gasped as Tatsumi's fingers found a particularly weak spot on his ankle. "You're probably right," he agreed weakly. "Well, I'm really happy you made it anyways."  
  
Tatsumi nodded. "The meeting ended earlier than I had planned." He shifted slightly, still holding Tsuzuki's foot. "By the way," he began hesitantly. "I wished to speak to you of issues."  
  
"Oh?" Tsuzuki tilted his head curiously.  
  
"As a friend, would you do me a favor?" Tatsumi asked hopefully, his bright blue eyes gazing pleadingly into Tsuzuki's eyes.  
  
"A favor?" Tsuzuki frowned as he wondered what Tatsumi would want from him. "Well, sure, I guess. What do you want me to do for you?"  
  
Tatsumi smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Tsuzuki-san. I am quite pleased that you are willing to do this for me."  
  
Tsuzuki's mouth quirked into a shy grin. "Sure." He glanced away from Tatsumi's intense gaze. "So, what do you want me to do?"  
  
"Tsuzuki-san," Tatsumi began hopefully. "Will you join A.A.?"  
  
End of Part 9  
  
Demented Rambling: Can you tell that I'm neither a dancer, nor have been to a dance competition? 


	10. Swim Lessons

Yeah, it's a bit late. But only a little bit.  
  
Life is  
  
Part 10  
  
Swim Lessons  
  
"Alcohol is at the root of all evils," Tatsumi repeated intently. "You have to realize this before you go on with your life. Unless you do, you will only be tempted again and again." He waved the bowl in his hand for emphasis.  
  
"Excuse me . . ." Tsuzuki tried to interject.  
  
"And once you realize for yourself what alcohol is doing to you and your family, then you will realize that you do not need these meetings for more than emotional support for your withdrawal symptoms."  
  
"Tatsumi?" Tsuzuki shifted uncomfortably on his futon. "Hello? Is anybody home?"  
  
"I-Yes, what is it, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi snapped distractedly.  
  
Tsuzuki pointed to the bowl in Tatsumi's hand. "I promise I won't hobble to the street corner tonight and get drunk. Can I have my soup now?" he asked hopefully.  
  
Tatsumi watched Tsuzuki suspiciously for a few moments before sighing and relinquishing the bowl. "We shall continue this tomorrow night," he promised ominously.  
  
Tsuzuki sighed and tried to wriggle his propped up toes. "You know, you could just leave me at the actual AA meeting," he said wistfully. "And I think they're nicer in their lectures." he added, glaring sullenly at his bandaged ankle.  
  
Tatsumi sighed patiently, tucking the blanket around Tsuzuki. "If someone had taken better care of himself and not twisted his ankle, that is exactly what I would do. However, here you are, and here I am. Besides," Tatsumi's blue eye glinted in the dim light of Tsuzuki's living room/bedroom. "We're trying to keep you sober, not be nice."  
  
Tsuzuki could only droop at this. "Tatsumi's mean!" he exclaimed, as if he was just discovering the fact.  
  
For the first time that night, Tatsumi had to stop his mouth from smiling. "Thank you," he said with mock graveness. "I do try."  
  
Tsuzuki gave him a disgusted look before turning, preferring the wall to his tormentor. Just as Tatsumi smiled and began to comment on this, the sound of someone trying to break down Tsuzuki's door echoed throughout the entire apartment complex. Curiously, Tatsumi ventured towards the door, wondering who could have so urgent of business with Tsuzuki at the late hour.  
  
His question was answered when Watari burst through the doorway.  
  
"Hey, Tatsumi," he called out cheerfully as he pushed past the tall man. Tatsumi closed the door and locked it, wary of other intruders. "Yo, Tsuzuki!" he collapsed at the foot of Tsuzuki's futon. "How are you doing?" he asked, shaking out damp blonde tresses. "I just came back from swimming," Watari explained. "How's your ankle."  
  
"Watari!" Tsuzuki exclaimed happily. "I'm glad to see you! Tatsumi's taking care of me, so my ankle's doing a lot better."  
  
Watari shook out his hair again. "Good, good! Well, I was asking because we're doing a community awareness program."  
  
"For drugs?" Tsuzuki asked suspiciously.  
  
"No, silly," Watari giggled vapidly. "So that our swim team will have more people watching at the meets."  
  
"Oh." Tsuzuki blinked awkwardly. "That was my second guess."  
  
"Anyways," Watari plunged, on, completely ignoring Tsuzuki. "We're going to be offering free swimming lessons to the community, and I was wondering if you would like to be taught by yours truly!"  
  
"Ah," Tsuzuki looked behind Watari at Tatsumi hopefully. "I can't, because of AA stuff . . ."  
  
"No, I think this is a wonderful idea." Tatsumi shook his head. "When you get withdrawal symptoms, this is something you can do to distract yourself. Besides, you need to learn how to swim sometime."  
  
"I . . ." Tsuzuki turned helplessly to Watari. "But I hate the water. It's so cold and wet and . . ."  
  
"Tsuzuki, it's okay." Watari squeezed his hand for emotional support. "I'll be right there with you."  
  
"If you wish, I can go there with you to help you get settled in." Tatsumi offered generously. "And Watari can take you home."  
  
"I . . ." Tsuzuki ground his teeth together, and then paused with a thoughtful look. "You have a car?" he asked his blonde friend.  
  
"Nope." Watari shook his head helpfully. "But afterwards we can have some ice cream!" Watari promised. "I'm not on taper yet, so it's okay."  
  
"Taper?" Tsuzuki asked.  
  
"I will cook dinner for you again." Tatsumi gestured towards the bowl in Tsuzuki's lap. "It will not be soup."  
  
Tsuzuki blinked worriedly. "But I thought you said that you'd cook for me until I got better," he sniffed.  
  
"Come on, Tsuzuki, what do you say?"  
  
"Tsuzuki-san?"  
  
"I-" Tsuzuki looked from one hopeful face to another. "Alright," he conceded. "I'll go. But I won't like it," he promised balefully.  
  
***  
  
Tsuzuki eyed the pool with trepidation, his feet dangling over the edge into the green water. He rubbed his bare arms briskly, glancing around the cavernous walls of the indoor pool.  
  
"Okay," Watari chirped near his left ear. "Now that you're ready, let's hop in." Tsuzuki turned away just in time to avoid getting any water from the resulting splash in his face.  
  
"Do they store ice in this?" He complained.  
  
Watari clucked his tongue at him patronizingly. "Don't worry, once your body temperature lowers, you'll get used to it." He patted Tsuzuki's shin, just above the ankle brace. "Hey, is this new?" he asked, fiddling with the laces.  
  
With a little imagination, Tsuzuki's grunt could be taken for a 'yes'. "Tatsumi," he expanded, which explained nothing. "He said something about it lying around." Tsuzuki shrugged indifferently.  
  
"Ah," Watari nodded, although he was slightly perplexed. "Anyways, moving on," he began. "Why don't you hop in?" Tsuzuki gave him a sullen glare. "Hey, man, don't shoot the messenger." Watari chuckled, throwing up his hands dramatically. "We'll do this together."  
  
Mumbling something that involved an expletive and Terazuma's name, Tsuzuki gingerly shifted into the water. Sighing impatiently, Watari grabbed his arm and pulled the dark haired man the rest of the way in.  
  
Tsuzuki tried to scream, but his mouth seemed to have its own mind and tried to gasp at the same time. What came out was a sound similar to the recipient of the Heimlich maneuver, causing people to give him strange looks. The Life Guard moved so Tsuzuki was in his direct line of sight.  
  
"Hey!" Watari yelled into his ear. "Calm down!" He detangled Tsuzuki's hand from his hair and guided it to the edge of the pool. "Tatsumi wasn't joking when he said you didn't particularly like the water, huh?"  
  
"No," Tsuzuki whimpered, leaning over the edge of the pool so at least his head was safe from the madman he had thought was his friend.  
  
"What happened?" Watari asked suddenly. "I mean, why are you so afraid of water?"  
  
"Oh," Tsuzuki lowered his shoulders painfully. "I was . . . stung."  
  
Watari leaned back, blinking rapidly. "By a jellyfish?" he asked hopefully. Tsuzuki winced and nodded so rapidly that a few drops of highly chlorinated water glided through the air to land on Watari's nose. "Wow, cool!" Watari exclaimed. "Me too!"  
  
Tsuzuki blinked. "You too?" he asked in wonderment. "Did you get hospitalized?" He leaned forward hopefully. "Did they have to give you a shot for the poison?"  
  
"Nope," Watari growled, his mood rapidly changing from joyful to dark and gloomy. "They said it was a common jelly fish, and I would only be in danger if I was a small fish."  
  
"They said the same thing to me," Tsuzuki admitted tearfully. "I-it hurt," he mourned. "A lot." Suddenly, with a loud cry, he threw his arms around his blonde friend. "Tell me, Watari," Tsuzuki begged of the ear that resided a few centimeters from his mouth. "How did you get over your fear of water?"  
  
"Well," Watari began, trying to unwind Tsuzuki's arms from around his body. "After I got stung, I was thinking that if that stupid jelly fish hadn't been there, then I wouldn't have stepped on it. So, obviously, it was its fault that all this happened." Watari grinned sadistically. "That day, I swore I would hunt down that jellyfish and eat it!" Watari threw his long blonde tresses back majestically into the water which sprayed nearby swimmers while he laughed maniacally.  
  
"O . . . kay." Tsuzuki nodded to himself, deciding once and for all that Watari must be insane. It probably had something to do with jellyfish venom. "Well, this was a lovely swim lesson," the purple-eyed man proclaimed, nodding to random swimmers. "I'll just be leaving now."  
  
"Oh, no," Watari grabbed his wrist. "Now that we've got you in the water, we're going to get you doing the Dead Man's Float!"  
  
"Ah," Tsuzuki really didn't like the sound of that. "No, that's okay. How about the Live Man's Float?"  
  
"Tsuzuki," Watari shook his head exasperatedly. "Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki. You should know better."  
  
"Know better than what?" Tsuzuki asked curiously. Once again, Watari shook his head.  
  
"Never mind," Watari sighed pitifully. "I suppose it doesn't really matter. But you're doing nothing to get rid of your hydrophobia. Why don't we do some kicking exercises?"  
  
With the look of someone who knew exactly what Watari was talking about, Tsuzuki shrugged. "Okay. So, what do I do?"  
  
Watari frowned at him suspiciously. "Kick."  
  
Tsuzuki glanced from side to side, eyeing the other swimmers apprehensively, making sure no one was watching. He tentatively kicked out.  
  
"No!" Tsuzuki cringed as Watari's voice drew eyes. "Grab on to the wall," he suggested. "And then kick." Tsuzuki did so. Watari flinched as a foot came dangerously close to his head. "No, no, not like that."  
  
"Now Watari's being mean too," Tsuzuki moaned. At least with Tatsumi, he could sleep while the other lectured. "Can we go yet?"  
  
"It hasn't been an hour." Watari pointed at his waterproof watch to emphasize the fact. "Hey, no looking," he said, jerking his arm back when Tsuzuki leaned over it. "You'll have to trust me on this one. Once an hour is up, I'll let you go."  
  
***  
  
"So, for the next three hours, Watari drilled me on kicking." Tsuzuki complained while wincing as Tatsumi loosened another row of laces. "Even when I pointed at the pool clock, he said it was fast." Tsuzuki sniffed dramatically. "He's like a drill sergeant in the water."  
  
"Yes, Watari-san does get like that," Tatsumi interrupted, frowning at the ankle brace. Carefully, he started to ease it off of Tsuzuki's foot. "Perhaps if you had only worked out for an hour like I said, your ankle would be fine now."  
  
Suddenly Tsuzuki leaned forward to grip Tatsumi's shirt. "Never let me go back there with him." Tsuzuki begged. "Please!" Tatsumi sighed patiently, trying to keep Tsuzuki's ankle still as he worked off the brace.  
  
"Try to relax on the pillow," he suggested.  
  
Tsuzuki winced as Tatsumi's fingers pushed a little too hard on his ankle. "You don't understand," he whimpered. "No one does."  
  
"There," Tatsumi congratulated himself as he held aloft the brace. "It is off." He gently placed the brace on Tsuzuki's couch. "Would you like dinner? I finished it before you returned home."  
  
Tsuzuki grumbled something about lack of food and Watari. "So," he said hopefully, "what good solid food's for dinner?" Tsuzuki asked hopefully. "Chicken? Fish?"  
  
Tatsumi closed his eyes briefly, a faint smile appearing on his face. "I thought your swimming work out would exhaust you, so I made Chicken Broth." He ruffled Tsuzuki's hair companionably. "Ignoring Tsuzuki's pained look, Tatsumi stood and turned away. "Please wait here while I pour you a bowl."  
  
"Sure." Tsuzuki grumbled, settling back comfortably into the warm cocoon of Tatsumi's spare blankets. "Maybe I could limp away to some restaurant," he wished helplessly.  
  
"What was that?" Tatsumi asked, returning to proffer a bowl of steaming liquid to Tsuzuki.  
  
Tsuzuki shook his head, accepting the bowl and spoon. "Nothing," he smiled, blowing gently on the spoon. "Just thinking aloud about escape."  
  
Tatsumi sighed, combing back Tsuzuki's bangs with his fingers. "How do you survive in the corporate world?" he asked rhetorically.  
  
Tsuzuki blinked. "I survive?"  
  
End of Part 10 


	11. A Familiar Face

Life is  
  
Part 11  
  
A Familiar Face  
  
"Okay," Tsuzuki frowned as he surveyed the paperwork spread out on his floor. "So . . ." he said tentatively, "This is not good." He punctuated the statement by letting his head thud softly to the paper strewn floor.  
  
Touda made one of his few noises of acknowledgement by grunting in agreement. Tsuzuki raised his head slowly. "Well, on a good part, we're currently not doing anything illegal." He tapped another paper. "But last year . . . how did anyone not notice this?"  
  
Souryu pulled a file out of the cabinet next to Tsuzuki's desk that he was wedged between. "Simple," he said, handing it to Tsuzuki. "Everyone else was too."  
  
"Oh, okay, that makes it all right." Tsuzuki said cheerfully, throwing himself back to rest on the papers. "We can go home now."  
  
Touda made a hissing sound through his teeth. "Seriously," he stressed, "Unless we give them reason to, a few corporate detectives will notice our history." Tsuzuki wondered if he was speaking specifically of Terazuma. Probably not.  
  
"Unless our competitors give them information," Souryu added belatedly. To Tsuzuki's worried look he added, "We have a stalemate going with several of them."  
  
Tsuzuki winced and ran a hand through his hair. "So, honestly, we're getting no where. Is there any way we can . . ." He looked at the papers, hoping they could supply the necessary words. "Erase? Erase our past?"  
  
"Maybe if we give all our funds to charity and find outside financing." Touda shrugged indifferently. "And completely change personnel, and our product. Maybe even the location."  
  
"Touda," Tsuzuki sighed, wiping at his forehead. "Stop being so pessimistic." Once upon a time he had looked forward to the future . . .  
  
"I am not a pessimist," Touda interrupted Tsuzuki's recollection, twisting his neck so his head was directly in front of his President's. "I am a realist."  
  
"Maybe we can sort through our records without fighting." Souryu suggested darkly.  
  
Tsuzuki blinked. "Oh, so that's what we're doing." Souryu twitched, his face darkening by the second. Touda, although there was no apparent change in his demeanor, grew very still. Tsuzuki looked from one to the other. "What? It's basically the same thing."  
  
No response.  
  
"I mean, it like we're fighting corporate crime!" He leaned backwards and gave a few mock punches in the air. "It's not like I wasn't being constructive."  
  
The jangling sound of the telephone interrupted the tense silence. Souryu, being the only person who could maneuver around to the phone with ease, reached for the interruption. Tsuzuki frowned, glancing at his office walls. "I wonder who it could be . . ." he paused as his eyes fell across the clock.  
  
Touda just continued to look at him. "Oh, by the way, you had a dinner date tonight. It starts now." Tsuzuki could swear that he looked happy.  
  
"You're a horrible assistant." Tsuzuki said instead. "Besides, it's not a dinner date. It's just Tatsumi."  
  
"Who is enjoying listening in on your conversation," Souryu said dryly, dangling the phone in front of Tsuzuki's face like a doggy treat.  
  
Tsuzuki snatched away and settled down in an easy crouch. "Um . . ." he began confidently. "Tatsumi?"  
  
"Tsuzuki-san," was the curt reply. "I am sorry to contact you so late. You were apparently neither at the restaurant nor at your apartment." Tatsumi's voice held an odd note of pride.  
  
"Yeah." Tsuzuki agreed, weary of the tone.  
  
"I will not be able to join you for dinner tonight." Tatsumi's voice stated. "I apologize, but I had to work later than I expected."  
  
"Oh," Despite Tatsumi's inability to see him, Tsuzuki nodded. "That's okay. I completely understand."  
  
"Good." Oddly enough, there was no relief in the other man's voice. However, it softened marginally. "I suppose we will meet up later."  
  
"Sounds good." Tsuzuki replied cheerfully. "Bye-bye."  
  
As Souryu accepted the phone back, Touda shifted so he lounged across the papers. "I don't like him," he said.  
  
Tsuzuki gave him a look of general disbelief. "You are mean," he said, as if he just discovered it.  
  
Touda shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "There's something about him that's wrong. Stop seeing him, or running into him, or whatever you're doing with him."  
  
The purple eyed man blinked slowly, his jaw hanging open in general disbelief. "Huh?"  
  
"He's probably joking." Souryu growled. "Paperwork?"  
  
***  
  
Tatsumi sighed painfully, resting his head for the briefest of moments on the unyielding wood of his desk. Then, before any nosy interns could enter his office, he immediately straightened, shuffling through the papers.  
  
"Tomorrow morning," he whispered softly. With that, he sighed, straightened his collar, and forced his mind to focus on a different topic.  
  
It was good to see that Tsuzuki had some sort of a work ethic. It was possible, if miraculous, that he would be able to survive a few more months.  
  
He caught his hands from drifting self consciously to the drawer.  
  
The folders were shuffled to a thick, unvarying alphabetical order. If on demand, he could repeat all of the names in their order. He would need to soon enough.  
  
Still, habit forced Tatsumi to let his fingers brush over the desk drawer that held most of his life's work protectively.  
  
***  
  
"Uuh," Tsuzuki greeted him.  
  
"Are you alright?" Tatsumi asked worriedly. He briefly considered waving a hand in front of Tsuzuki's face, but decided that the hallway just outside Tsuzuki's apartment was not the place. "Do you need medical assistance?"  
  
"Nuh," Tsuzuki drooled emphatically.  
  
Tatsumi sighed impatiently, glancing around the general area, hoping that a medical team could pop out of the snow. Doing so, he noticed the foot prints making a wayward journey through the snow. "Are you just coming home?" he asked carefully.  
  
"Ughn." Tsuzuki's head bobbed in what could have been either a nod or an attempt to fight off sleep.  
  
"Is this your first time working all night?" Tatsumi asked, sounding like a proud parent. This time, instead of answering Tsuzuki simply glared at him sullenly. Tatsumi beamed at him before carefully checking his watch. "If I run, I will make it on time . . ." he murmured.  
  
He turned back to Tsuzuki happily. "Come," he commanded. "I will make you tea. Give me your key." He felt around Tsuzuki's pockets, ignoring the indignant look he was receiving for his efforts and held up the key triumphantly. "Good, let's go inside. No, not through the window, the door." A hand on the smaller man's back helped propel him into Tsuzuki's cold apartment.  
  
"Told Touda to pay the heat bill," Tsuzuki grumbled plaintively as Tatsumi ushered him to a couch.  
  
Tatsumi nodded indulgently, scanning the small adjoining kitchenette for tea. "Is this alright?" he called out, holding up a tea packet for inspection. Assuming Tsuzuki's grunt was an affirmative, he continued his preparations.  
  
"It is very fortunate that I found you this early," Tatsumi commented loudly. He waited until Tsuzuki grunted to continue. "Otherwise, we might have not seen each other at all today." He waited for another grunt. "It is good that the weather is cold, otherwise you might have overworked your ankle. If you wish, I will attempt to leave work earlier than normal today and look at it."  
  
"I have to go back tonight." Tsuzuki grumbled. He wiggled his foot and was happy to note the lack of pain.  
  
"I understand." Tatsumi said warmly, returning to the couch to hand Tsuzuki life bearing tea. Tatsumi arranged Tsuzuki's hands in a manner to ensure he wouldn't spill any accidentally. "Until tonight," he promised, smiling at his handiwork.  
  
***  
  
"You don't have to walk me to my office," Tsuzuki shrugged, admiring the way that the new snow crunched under his feet. Well . . . foot.  
  
Tatsumi shifted his grip on Tsuzuki's elbow as he smiled indifferently. "There are plenty of things I do not need to do," he replied distantly. "Besides, I promised Watari that I would confirm that you were not skipping your swim lessons for no reason, and you're your injury would not keep you from returning."  
  
If he noticed the way Tsuzuki jumped, he didn't say anything. "Yeah," was the violet eyed man's slow response. "Well," Tsuzuki continued slowly. "I think it will only be a few more days, and then I can go back to normal hours."  
  
Tatsumi let out a short laugh that was partially muffled by his glove. "You sound just like several of my coworkers when we started working." For a moment, his eyes grew distant and misty. "Those first few years, when I would spend almost eighteen hours working . . . I even had to bring a pillow and blanket to the office a few times."  
  
Tsuzuki gave him a look that showed his doubts of the other man's sanity. "What happened to the other, sane people?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
His answer was a slightly worried frown. "That is not the issue here," Tatsumi said quickly. "However, you should be proud that you are working responsibly. Your worker's morale is high, and important issues are being dealt with in a timely manner."  
  
"Okay," Tsuzuki frowned, stopping to point to the right. "Well, we're here." He looked up the side of the building. "Oh, and Touda's already here!"  
  
Tatsumi looked up as well. "So he is." He reached out as if he would pat Tsuzuki's shoulder, but his arm fell short as if he abruptly changed his mind. "You have good workers," he said instead.  
  
"Thanks." Tsuzuki frowned slightly at Touda's foreboding form. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning." He gave a short wave before disappearing into the building.  
  
When he reached his office, he was only slightly discouraged when he saw the masses of papers still spread out haphazardly across his floor. "So," he greeted. "What's new?"  
  
"I remember him now." Touda said softly, his words cutting through any reply Souryu would have said. He was still leaning against the wall, watching the street.  
  
Tsuzuki wondered if Souryu had stayed all day working. "Who?" he asked distractedly while looking around the cluttered office for a coffee maker.  
  
"Your Tatsumi Seiichirou." Touda replied enigmatically.  
  
"You know," Tsuzuki said, giving up in his search to frown at Touda. "I really like how your answers are precise, and while not leaving me guessing, need little prompting-"  
  
"He's one of the board members of our competition." Touda snapped tiredly. At Tsuzuki's confused look, he expanded, "We don't have anything on the company yet, but it's there. Its competitors have an odd way of disappearing, or being the prime target of detectives."  
  
Tsuzuki blinked at Touda, before through the window Touda was leaning against. The angle gave a prime view of the street next to them, so Tsuzuki had no difficulties seeing a dark figure slowly return from the way it had come.  
  
Touda sighed softly, returning to an easy crouch over the floor. "I am, of course, assuming you didn't know." Somewhere in the back of his head, Tsuzuki though he heard a note of regret in Touda's voice.  
  
"Oh," Tsuzuki said sagely. "Okay, then, let's get started, and we won't have to come back tomorrow night."  
  
End of Part 11 


End file.
